Whistle in the dark
by CitrineMama
Summary: "You can't keep it inside, you know. Bottling it all up... you know that won't ever do you any good." His voice was gentle and she nodded "I never stopped worrying about you. I just want to know you're gonna be okay." I only own my OC, Finn.
1. Chapter 1

_The sound of his boots echoed down the seemingly endless corridor, his stride confident. He jingled his keys every few steps he took, as if to announce his presence and assert some sort of dominance. Outside this place, he never announced himself in a verbal way; his stature and build was always enough to do that for him._

_His eyes moved back and forth as he surveyed the area, making sure things were secure as they always were._

_But not this time._

_He rounded the corner and froze, beyond startled when he saw a man standing there. There was something sinister about him and the evil smirk that curled his lip up made goosebumps form on his skin. "What are you-," His words were cut off by the man shoving him up against the cold tiled wall, his thick forearm across his throat._

_He tried to reach his hip to call for help, but was seemingly unable to do so. His eyes met the man's again and when he blinked, his eyes were like the darkest of nights. They were completely devoid of life and empathy. Just two pits of emptiness._

_He could feel his head getting fuzzy as he struggled to break free of the other man's seemingly inhuman grip, struggling to ignore the grayness starting to cloud the edges of his peripheral vision. His lungs were screaming out for air, begging for him to take a breath as the man, the monster, in front of him applied even more pressure to his windpipe._

_The black eyed man leaned into whisper, his sour breath splattering across his face. "You'll never hurt anyone again..." He paused before he added. "And neither will I."_

_He barely felt the sharp object pierce his neck before the pressure let up and a warm wetness spilled down the shoulder of his shirt. He clapped a hand to his neck before he hit the floor with a resounding thud. There was a tugging at his right hip as his gun was forcibly removed from its holster. The gun went off a second later and he coughed weakly. It was a wet sound and there was another thud of another body hitting the floor nearby. He could hear a shout and the scuffle of boots moving towards them before everything faded to black._

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Hey lovelies!

Just started working on this new one after I finished posting the last part to **No more secrets.** Make sure you check it out and leave me a review. Have a great evening!

Citrinemama


	2. Chapter 2

The stars were twinkling brightly in the heavens above as the figure burst out of the small home's side door and into the midnight hour like a bullet down the barrel of a gun. Tears stained her cheeks and she used her sleeve to wipe them back, her hands trembling. She shifted the backpack weighing her down like the world's biggest secret and leaned against the brick wall, taking a few deep breaths for she slid down to the damp concrete beneath her running shoes.

Like all the other times, she felt this invisible tie to him slow her actions. The sound of disappointment in his voice when she told him _begged him_ to stop this. She loved _him,_ but not how he treated her.

_You made me upset._

_I had a bad day._

_This wasn't my fault._

He knew damned well she had no place to go. No one to call. He was methodical in doing this and she hadn't worked a job in the last two years, so she couldn't fund a one way trip the hell away from him. He'd nearly succeeded in isolating her from all friends and what little family she had.

_Nearly._

She'd been good friends with Garth Fitzgerald since she was little and had hunted with him as well as several others over the last decade, save for the last two years since she'd met Rick. That world was secret from him and she intended to keep it that way.

Two of those hunters, Garth always said, you could trust with your life and call on, no matter what.

_Sam and Dean Winchester._

She wiped a fresh wave of tears back and looked down at her watch. It was nearing midnight now; she could be gone in the wind.

Or she could go back inside and unpack her bag and get into their bed and forget this whole half cocked plan like she'd done so many times in the past...

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"Hi." The blonde woman stepped forward and gave a hesitant smile to the elderly man at the train station window. Her hoodie was up over her blonde ponytail and he looked up from his worn paperback book, startled to see a pair of hazel eyes sparkling with tears. He dogeared the page to mark his spot and set his book down next to him.

"Hello." His usually gruff tone softened a bit. "Can I help ya?"

"Ticket to Chicago, please."

He glanced at the computer screen and gave her the total. His blue eyes watched as she pulled out a wad of crumpled bills, smoothing them out a bit before counting them carefully. She could feel his watchful gaze focused on her as she handed over the money and he spoke softly. "You alright, miss?" When she looked back up, he could see tears sparkling in her eyes.

"My mother passed away... I have to get home..." The lie rolled off her tongue and he smiled sympathetically.

"My condolences." He typed in a few keystrokes and her literal ticket to freedom popped out on his side of the glass, He slid it underneath the opening and into her cold fingers. "Take care, m'am."

"Thank you." Her grateful tone made him smile again before he picked up his paperback again.

She moved to the corner of the bus station, her purse tight in her hand and the perfectly manicured fingers on her left hand clutching the blue and white striped one way ticket. The bench was cold beneath her as she sat down off to the side of the ticket window so she could watch the entrance to the bus station, her heart thudding in her chest as if he may burst in at any moment to take her back home to the nightmare she'd endured for the last two years.

The cell phone Rick gave her was sitting on the kitchen countertop at home. It felt strange to set her cell phone down near the coffee maker before she looked around the kitchen for the last time. She'd made him dinner before he had to leave for work and she'd nearly broken down and admitted her plans to leave him when he'd looked at her strangely before asking her why she was so quiet. She mumbled some excuse about having a headache because of the weather change and he'd accepted that without a second thought.

With trembling hands, she pulled out her charger and the burner phone she'd gotten at the gas station earlier that day. There was an outlet next to the bench and she plugged into it, waiting for the phone to turn on. The screen lit up at about thirty percent life and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Their cell numbers were fresh in her mind and she dialed Sam.

He answered after two rings, sounding like she'd woken him up. "Yeah?"

"Sam Winchester?" God, she _hated_ how her voice broke. There was a rustling on the other end and his voice sounded more alert.

"Yes and this is...?"

"Uh... Finn Gallagher. Garth's friend? I'm not sure if you-,"

"Of course." Sam cut her off. "Are you alright? No one's heard from ya in a couple years..." She heard another male voice on his end, knowing it was his brother. "Finn?"

"I need some help."

"Anything." Pause. "Whats going on? Where are you?" His questions were full of concern and worry, not venom and suspicion like Rick's always were. "Finn?"

"It's a long story..."

"You can tell me later." Sam assured her. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

Finn sniffled. "I just needed someplace to stay until I figure out some things... I'd have asked Garth, but he and his wife have the baby..."

"Where are you?"

"Bus station in Cleveland."

"Where ya headed?"

"Chicago."

"Can you get to St. Louis? When's your bus leaving?"

"In an hour." She glanced at her watch. "Sam, I can't.." He heard her start to cry.

"Listen," Sam clicked on the motel lamp and opened his laptop, squinting at the bright light. "Let me just look here a sec..." There was some furious typing on his end. "What bus line ya on?" She told him and another half a minute passed. "Okay. You leave at 1:10 am?"

"Yeah."

"Arrival in Chicago is 6:52." Sam cleared his throat and spoke again. "You immediately get on another line to St Louis and you'll be there by noon." That made her stomach drop. "We'll pick ya up in the St. Louis terminal. We're actually down in Nashville."

"Sam, I can't thank you..."

"Anytime Finn."

"Tell your brother thank you too... I guess I'll see ya in twelve hours?"

"If you need anything before then, please call me."

"Can't come soon enough." Finn murmured, but he heard her.

"This your new number?"

"It's a burner. I got thirty minutes on it."

"Gotcha. We'll see you soon. Stay safe." The line disconnected and she felt weak with relief.

"So where's she been all this time?" Dean sounded gruff as Sam shut the lamp back off and flopped back onto his bed. "She was off the grid for two years. I thought she got outta this life."

"There's more to it than that." Sam rolled onto his back. "She sounded scared, Dean."

"Of what?"

"I don't know."

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The halting motion and the whistle startled Finn out of her twenty minutes of sleep and she realized they were pulling into Chicago. She exited the bus with the handful of other passengers and looked at her watch again. She had a couple minutes to use the facilities and get another ticket.

She hurried through the terminal and took care of business before counting out enough money for another ticket. It had been her plan all along to go to large terminals to leave Rick, hoping he'd never figure out where she'd gone. Finn was handed another ticket before she headed to the next gate to wait for the next bus.

The one that would bring her to the Winchester brothers.

She had three dollars worth of change left and she said a silent prayer for having barely enough money to pull this off. Finn bought a coffee from a nearby vendor and added a creamer before taking a sip of the hot, bitter alertness that the paper cup housed. She was running only on adrenaline and anxiety at that point and remembered her granola bars in her purse. As soon as she got on, she'd eat one.

Her hazel eyes moved around the area and she saw people like her, waiting for the bus to take them to their next destination. A couple young men in suits were nearby with laptop bags over their shoulders, emailing on their smart phones, presumably waiting to go to their workplace.

The screech and grind of the bus breaks startled her and she nearly dropped her coffee. She waited in line, her hoodie keeping her warm in the early morning air. Finn sat alone, her backpack on and her purse in her lap, watching the other passengers discretely. She sipped her coffee and looked at her watch again. 7:15 am.

She'd been awake for over twenty four hours and she was emotionally exhausted. Just five more hours and she'd be safely in the company of two men she could trust.

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"Hello?" Her voice sounded hesitant.

"It's Sam." He was holding his phone as his brother drove, her voice on speakerphone.

"And Dean." The older man spoke up. "How are ya, kid?"

"I'm okay." The two men shared a look. "Just having coffee."

"You need anything before we meet you?" Dean spoke again. "I can grab ya some lunch or something..."

"I just need a nap." That made Sam smile, knowing she'd been awake all night.

"We just wanted to check on you." Sam spoke again. "I guess we'll see ya in a couple hours."

"I'm counting the minutes."

"Stay safe and keep your head down." Dean spoke. "We'll see ya soon."

"Thanks, you guys." They hung up and Sam immediately dialed Garth.

"Hey Sam, how are you guys?"

"We're great Garth." Dean smiled. "How's the family?"

"They're great. I'm really blessed." He paused. "But that _isn't_ why you called, is it?"

"It's Finn. She called us last night. I know she's been off the grid and outta the life for a couple years..."

"She got with this real piece of work, Rick. He's a parole officer over at the jail and he's this controlling jerk and they moved out of town awhile back and she quit her job and dropped off the face of the earth. Her cell was disconnected and the last time I called, he told me in no uncertain terms where to go."

Dean's jaw tightened and he glanced at his younger brother. "He hurt her?"

"That I don't know, but from what I've heard, it wouldn't be far-fetched." Garth sighed. "Why'd she call you guys?"

"She said she was in trouble and was at the bus station. Needed a place to crash until she figured things out."

Garth sucked in a breath and they heard a baby start to cry. "Look guys, I appreciate you looking out for her. If I can help in anyway, please let me know."

"Will do, buddy. Thanks." Dean spoke and Sam hung up. "I feel like driving out to Ohio and kickin' this guy's ass."

"Same here." The were quiet or a couple minutes before Sam spoke again. "Dean, she's gotta stay with us for awhile..."

"Absolutely. If this dick is the reason she dropped off the map, I'm gonna kill him. I mean, it's one thing to get outta the life and _have_ a life, but this..."

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Her head was pounding and she figured it was because of the lack of sleep and she kept seeing signs for St. Louis, each mile under the tires bringing her closer to safety. Her eyes watched the watch turn from 11:59 to noon and she knew his phone would vibrate with the timed facebook status update.

_Rick-Josie Volant_

_Relationship status changed from in a relationship to single._

_Just wanted to let you all know what a controlling bastard Rick is. He puts his hands on me and controls my every breath and has done so for the last two years. I left his ass and am gone in the wind. Just wanted to let you know what kind of family member, coworker and friend you all really have. Have a nice life._

_Josie_

The bus slowed to a stop and Finn rose slowly, scanning the small crowd below for the black stallion and the two white knights that drove her. Her hand came up to tuck her hair back some and and moved up the aisle way to disembark the bus. The sun shone high above her and she shielded her eyes for a moment before she spotted them. Sam held up a hand in greeting and she headed towards them.

Sam leaned down to hug her first, his hair longer than she'd remembered. Finn gave him a one armed hug before turning to Dean. His eyes sparkled in the sunlight and there was a hint of a smile on his mouth. "Hey sweetheart." He hugged her tight and she closed her eyes, almost weak with relief.

Both men chose not to comment on her appearance; she was thinner than they'd recalled, now blonde instead of brunette and the shiner she was sporting certainly didn't belong there. Finn looked exhausted and Sam spoke up. "Let me get your bags for ya." He took them without protest and Dean's fingers linked into hers.

The trio headed to the car and got inside. Dean turned the key over in the ignition and glanced at his brother. Sam looked at him for a long moment as the engine roared to life before they both glanced in the backseat. Finn was out cold, snoring lightly almost as soon as she hit the leather.

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Hello lovely readers!

So excited for this story to unfold! I hope you enjoy. :) Please review and let me know what you thought.

Shout out to **jloh217** for your review! Have a great night!

CitrineMama


	3. Chapter 3

Finn startled awake about five hours later and pushed off the leather seats so fast, her head spun. She closed her eyes for a moment, not catching the soft smile on Sam's face when he caught the movement out of the corner of his eye, turning to look at her over his shoulder. "Hey sleepy head." Sam spoke lightly and she immediately relaxed at his teasing tone. "You've been out for hours."

"I'm sorry." She murmured, her hand coming up to attempt to fix her ponytail. Dean cleared his throat softly as Finn reached for her purse and a piece of gum. Her coffee and sleep breath tasted awful and she longed for the mint. "If you guys don't mind, could we stop for a bathroom break?" She saw them exchange somewhat apprehensive glances. "What?"

"Finn," Dean spoke gently. "We gotta find someplace... discrete." The way he put that immediately put her on edge.

Her brow wrinkled. "Why?"

His answer was to reach his right hand up his rear view mirror and turn it towards her. Finn shifted in the backseat and raised her face to the mirror and to her horror, her left cheekbone had a nasty bruise forming. Her fingers gently probed the area around her cheekbone, immediately realizing her headache wasn't from lack of sleep; it was from where Rick had backhanded her the night before.

_"You were gone a little too long at the grocery store today." Rick hand was a blur and she was on the kitchen floor. "I bet you were there meeting someone, hm?"_

_"No, Rick. I swear." Her eye was watering already from the dizzying blow and she blinked back tears, bracing herself for whatever might come next._

_"You try and leave me, you'll get what's coming to ya." His hand wrapped around her wrist and he yanked her to her feet. "Now finish my dinner so I can sleep before I have to go in tonight."_

Finn sunk back, her ashamed gaze shifting to the window beside her and Dean turned the mirror back towards him. "We don't have to talk about that now." His green eyes moved to her in the mirror. "There's a couple places comin' up we can stop at. Alright?" She nodded silently, tears in her eyes.

Sam could sense the embarrassment radiating off the blonde and he sighed softly, knowing his brother was thinking the same awful things he was. Ten quiet minutes passed before the impala rolled onto a gravel lot housing four gas pumps and a tiny convenience store. The trio got out and Sam nodded at Dean. "Grab me some jerky." The older man tossed him the keys and his warm hand found the small of her back. "We're gonna hit the can."

The bathrooms were out back of the station and Dean eyed the women's room door next to the men's. Finn pulled open the heavy door and glanced inside. There was a toilet next to the dingy, white sink that sat below a buzzing fluorescent light. "I'll only be a minute."

"I'm right here." He assured her with a nod and she forced a small smile. The door closed and locked and he leaned his shoulder against the brick wall as he crossed his arms over his chest, watching the area around them as he waited. Dean counted out thirty seconds and the toilet flushed. He could hear the water running for a few seconds before the door opened. Her eyes met his briefly and he nodded. "I'll walk ya back to the car and I'm gonna take a leak real quick."

"I'm fine." Finn looked over to Sam, who was standing forty feet away, putting gas in the car. "Really. Thank you." He watched her walk to Sam before he stepped inside the men's room.

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"Aww dude... this is the good stuff." Dean was in the passenger seat now, happily eating his junk food and Finn watched him, a small grin on her face. He looked like a kid in the candy store and it was sorta adorable because she knew he was a hunter in real life. "You want some?" He offered, holding the plastic back over the front seat to her and she reached up and took a piece. Sam chuckled at his brother before speaking up to Finn.

"We're about two hours from the bunker."

"The bunker?" That sounded both interesting and ominous to Finn and she chewed on the jerky, enjoying the saltiness that danced across her tongue.

Sam told her all about the Men of Letters and the underground bunker that they called home. To them, it was home base, but to Finn, it sounded like heaven. There was an immpressive collection of lore books there, he'd mentioned and she was welcome to look through them. As Sam spoke, she glanced out the window; she just couldn't believe how flat the state of Kansas was. Finn had never really been west of Chicago before and certainly not without Rick breathing down her neck. "It's home to us and I think you'll love it, Finn."

"I think so too." She murmured. Dean slurped on his soda straw noisily and Sam gave him a hard look. Dean only smiled innocently and Finn couldn't help but smile at their antics. "It's beautiful country out here." She had the window down and her hair was blowing around. It would be a tangled mess later, but she didn't care. Dean watched her from the passenger mirror experience the fresh air of the midwest scenery that passed by the sleek black car. She closed her eyes and felt herself relax for the first time in a really long time. The ride back went quickly and the sun was setting as they pulled off the main road and back through the woods to the bunker's entrance.

Sam got her bags from the back after they'd pulled into the garage, the door closing behind the impala. Dean opened the trunk and got his own duffle and tossed the other to Sam. "You guys hungry? We should've stopped for groceries..." Sam trailed off, suddenly realizing they'd been gone for a week and probably had little to offer their guest.

"I think we got a couple frozen pizzas." Dean answered, leading the way downstairs. Sam made a face but in front of him, Finn's belly growled loudly.

"C'mon Finn. I'll get ya set up with a room and Dean can throw the pizza in the oven." Sam shot his brother a look and the older man gave him a mock salute before disappearing down the hallway towards the kitchen.

Sam opened a door and clicked on a light. "I'll get ya some clean sheets. My room is down the hall and Dean's is next door." He paused. "Shower room is down the hall if you'd like." He watched Finn set her backpack and purse down on the bed. "I'm gonna unpack. Yell if you need anything." He gave her a smile before departing her room, closing the door behind him.

Finn thought a shower sounded wonderful and got some clean clothing before heading down the hall towards the showers. To her surprise, it was a general shower room with two stalls separated by a two foot walkway to enter them and a three quarter tiled wall as to provide some privacy. She noted the placement of a stack of clean towels on the counter between the two sinks. She picked one up and undressed, leaving her worn clothing on the floor. Finn hung the towel on a hook in the outside of the tiled wall before she turned on the hot water and stepped inside.

Finn used the masculine smelling body wash and the shampoo that was sitting there, thankful for the hot water and the comfort it provided. She was standing there for a few moments, letting the steam invade her sinuses when she heard the door open and she called out softly. "Hello?" She peeked over the wall a bit to see who'd walked in.

"Shit." It was Dean. He was wearing a towel around his hips. "I am so sorry, Finn. I thought Sam-," She waved him off, knowing he couldn't see anything from where he was. "I'll just come back..."

"You can't see anything and neither can I. It's fine. I just wanted to get cleaned up." He watched her hands come up to rinse the shampoo out of her blonde locks. "I used someone's shampoo..."

"That's my stall." He admitted before stepping into the stall across from hers, tossing his towel over the wall. Dean turned on the water. "You mind?" He held out a hand over his tiled wall across the walkway between them, careful to keep his eyes closed as the water rained down on him. Finn handed him the body wash and then the shampoo, watching him rinse off before scrubbing his hair. "Water pressure's nice, hm?"

"Real nice." Finn was still looking at him, fascinated by his comfort level with her there. "Dean?"

"Yeah?" Dean turned his back towards the shower head and his chin dropped to his chest, allowing the hot water to rain down on his shoulders.

"You have any conditioner? My hair's so tangled from riding with the windows down."

Dean turned to grab a bottle from the tiny shelf in the stall he was in and handed her a half full light green bottle. "This is the good stuff Sam uses on his glorious hair." That made her smile and she took a small squirt, working it into her hair.

Finn finished up and shut off the water before reaching over the wall to grab her towel. Dean kept his eyes closed, busying himself with rinsing his hair when he heard her getting out. She pulled it over to her side of the wall before securing it around her torso and stepping carefully around the wall past Dean's stall to where her clothing was thrown onto the floor. He'd wadded his up and set it on top of the counter. "I'm gonna get dressed." She spoke and he called out as she was leaving the shower room.

"Kitchen's down the hall to your left."

She carried her clothing down to her bedroom and closed and locked the door so she could get dressed. The thought of what she'd just accomplished suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks and she sank onto the bed, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. She wiped her face on the towel, her whole body trembling.

She'd done it.

She'd escaped him.

Finn knew she would be safe with the Winchesters, but she also knew she couldn't stay there forever and impede on their home and their privacy.

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Sam was standing outside Finn's bedroom door when Dean came out of the shower room, dressed and his hair damp and messy. He froze when he saw his brother listening like a creep. "Dude."

The younger man waved him off, hearing the muffled sobs coming from inside the room. "She's crying."

"Yeah, well, he was a massive douche." Dean stopped outside his bedroom. "Give her some time. Pizza'll be ready in like fifteen." Sam rolled his eyes before knocking softly on her door.

"Yeah?"

"It's Sam." He paused and he heard the heavy lock being undone a few seconds later. She opened the door slowly and he could see she'd been crying. "Two things..." She looked up and saw the concern in his eyes. "First, pizza will be ready pretty quick and two, I think you need to call Garth." The thought of her oldest friend made a fresh batch of tears well up in her eyes and Sam smiled softly. "I'll get ya hooked up with a phone soon here. You are more than welcome to use mine."

"Thank you Sam." She shut off her light and stepped into the hallway with him, winding her blonde hair up into a messy bun. He smiled and his eyes got wide when she hugged his torso tight for a few seconds. "Look, I can never replay you and your brother for doing this. I know you don't know me and we've only hunted together a few times..."

His dimple deepened and he rocked back on his heels a bit. "You're like family to Garth and he's family to us. Believe me, it's no problem at all. C'mon, my phone's in the library." They headed down the maze of hallways and the two story room came into view and he snuck a look over at the blonde. She was looking at the collection of books with admiration and his eyes moved to the hallway as Dean approached, the pizza balanced on three plates and a bag of potato chips under his arm.

"Sammy, ya wanna grab the beer in the kitchen?"

"Yeah," Sam's eyes caught hers. "You want beer or-,"

"Water's fine." The last time she'd had alcohol was on her last hunt two years ago and all the alcohol she'd seen Rick consume was enough to last her a freaking lifetime. There was so much more behind her answer and the two men had a silent conversation.

"Yeah, of course." Sam patted her upper arm as he passed her on the way to the kitchen. Dean busied himself opening the chips and putting the plates down.

"We had one pepperoni and cheese and a veggie supreme."

"I haven't had pizza forever." Finn moved to the table and sat down. Dean poured a mountain of chips on his own plate before holding the bag to her. She nodded and he dumped some on hers. "Thank you."

Sam returned then, two beers and a glass of ice water in hand. They ate in silence, which was just fine by Finn. When she finished, she asked Sam quietly. "You mind if I use your phone?"

Dean wiped his mouth with a napkin as his brother handed over his phone. "Take as long as you need." She gave a tight smile before pushing back from the table and taking the device he held out to her. Finn scrolled his contacts and found Garth's name and hit talk, her footsteps fading down the hallway. "Dean, we can't let her leave."

"Most woman who leave ultimately return." Dean took a swig of his beer. "But I think she made the biggest step and there's no turning back now." He thumbed on his own phone and clicked on a couple things before sliding it across the mahogany table top towards his brother. "She totally outed him to everyone, so I think she knows she can't go back now."

Sams eyes scanned the social media update that was clearly written by Finn. "Wow. She wasn't playin' around." Pause. "Since when do _you_ have social media?"

Dean took his phone back and shut it back down. "I need it for work." Sam raised an eyebrow. "Dude, how any cases have we solved because of this? _Exactly."_

"She signed it Josie?"

"Amateur." Dean reached across to take Sam's uneaten crust off his paper plate and biting into it. "Don't you think I looked her up too? Her real name is Josephine. We, and Garth, know her as Finn. This asshole called her Josie. I highly doubt he knew that. She pretty much dropped out of school and any kind of social life other than with asshat abot two years ago."

"I feel so bad this happened." Sam wiped a hand over his mouth and leaned back, making his chair creak with the movement. "Shit, Dean."

"Yeah," The older man leaned back too, mimicking his brother's movement. "No kidding. This chick has fought with us side by side and taken down nests of vamps but one guy has this hold over her. Pisses me off."

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Happy Thursday, lovely readers!

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought.

**SaphyraBlu13,** thank you for your review!

CitrineMama


	4. Chapter 4

Twelve hours earlier...

12:10 pm

Rick could sense some level of awkwardness when he pushed open the locker room door. A few sets of eyes moved to him as he stepped inside after giving shift report to his replacement. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket a couple times and he figured it was one of his buddies, wanting to grab lunch. The bald headed man opened his locker, unbuttoned his uniform shirt and untucked it before sitting down on the wooden bench between the two rows of lockers.

Rick toed off his steel toed work boots and thumbed his phone open, startled to see his social media account with several comments and growing. Something tightened in his chest as he read the update from ten minutes prior and all the comments underneath that.

The room around him was dead silent now and his blood boiled at the thought of Josie outing him like that. Stupid bitch had no place to go. She was gonna pay for this dearly and he pushed up and grabbed his keys and jacket before leaving the locker room, shocked whispers following his departure.

The bright sunlight and cool breeze did nothing to calm the beast raging inside him at that moment. Rick was seething with anger as he turned over his truck's engine before peeling out of the fenced in lot. He dialed Josie's cell number and it rang four times before going to voicemail. Nothing. He dialed again and again as he drove home, his left hand gripping the wheel tightly, his tense forearm muscles underneath the various tattoos and scars rippling with every movement.

He pulled onto his street and parked in the driveway, slamming his door shut and stalking into his home. "Josie!" Rick bellowed into the home. There was only silence and he dialed her number again on his cell. He could hear her phone playing its ringtone softly and he passed by the kitchen only to pause when he saw her phone, ringing on the countertop next to the coffee pot.

Josie's engagement ring was sitting there next to her phone and he swiped the items off the counter and onto the tiled floor beneath his feet. "Josie... you'd better hope I don't find you..."

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"Heya Sam," Garth's friendly voice came over the line and her eyes closed tightly as she leaned against the wall.

"It's me, Garth." Her voice was shaking and she heard him suck in a breath.

"Finn," He swallowed audibly and Finn slid down the wall to the ground, sitting cross legged, her hand on her forehead. "I guess they got ya."

"I'm safe."

"Finn, I tried callin' ya... I was so worried."

"Yeah," Her tone was dry and held a hint of bitterness. "He told me ya did." There was a tense silence and Garth didn't wanna imagine the consequences of his actions right then, but honestly, it was hard not to. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too. I wondered what in the hell you were ever doing with a jackass like that." For Garth to say anything unfavorable about anyone, Finn knew it was atrocious. "You deserved so much better that him, Finn." There was a sense of sadness and disappointment over the line. "You deserve better."

"But you were already taken." Was her weak attempt at humor and he smiled anyways; they'd dated briefly before she'd broken it off with him.

_"You're too good for me, Garth. I love you and I want you to be happy, but I don't think I'm the girl to do it."_

And damn it, Finn was right, much to both their chagrin. Garth had met Bess shortly after their conversation and they'd fallen in love. She was the proverbial girl next door and they were married a year later. Five years and a beautiful baby followed. Finn was truly happy for them and they deserved each other.

"Finn..." Garth's voice dropped some, sensing her upset. He sighed softly, not even sure what to say.

"I'm okay." Finn said quietly. "I'm with the Winchesters."

"At the bunker?"

"Yeah."_ Did everyone know about this place but her?_

"I might come out and see ya here sometime soon."

"I don't know how long I'll be-,"

Garth was pissed off immediately, something that only she could pull out of him. "Cut the _shit,_ Josephine. You stay with Sam and Dean. Rick will kill you if he finds you. I saw your social media account and that little message you posted." He took a deep breath. "I'm seriously worried for you..."

"Don't you think I know that?" She bit back a sob. "Garth, I can't invade their privacy forever here..."

"Give the phone to Sam." He sounded beyond irritated with her. "I need to talk to Sam." She rolled her eyes flippantly, hating him talking to her like she was a little kid. "I mean it. Give the phone to Sam _right now."_

Finn suddenly sensed someone to her left and was startled to see Sam standing there. "He wants to talk to you." She held out the device to him and he reached for it, sensing her upset.

"Garth?" He kept his eyes on her as he listened. Finn got to her feet and brushed by Sam towards the war room where Dean was undoubtedly still sitting. His gaze followed her as she stormed across the room and plopped into her seat. She wasn't sure who she was mad at, exactly.

Mostly herself, she guessed.

"You alright?" His careful tone stilled her and the blonde squeezed her eyes shut. "Finn?"

"He's angry with me." Finn's voice dropped and she held back a sob. Dean's brow wrinkled and he glanced at the hallway before looking back to the blonde across the table.

"Who, Sam?"

"Garth."

Dean knew his friend's easygoing temperament; he'd never once seen Garth waver from the happy go lucky ray of sunshine that he was. "Garth doesn't get angry. He doesn't even say cuss words."

That made her eyes open and she avoided his gaze. "Yeah, well, _apparently_ only I have the ability to piss him off royally."

Before Dean could ask him what she meant, Sam returned to the room, thumbing off his phone. Finn dared a glance up at him and he frowned. "Finn, we need to talk." His tone was serious and she crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back in the chair across from where Dean was sitting.

"Sam-,"

The younger man closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Okay, I'll talk and you listen." He leaned forward and rested his large hands on the table top. "Garth is worried. We're worried. He thinks you're gonna take off and go back to your boyfriend."

"I'm not!" Finn's tone was indignant, her dark eyes wide.

"Well, he wants us to make sure you're safe, so that's exactly what we're gonna do."

"What, are you gonna lock me in here?" The two men exchanged somewhat apprehensive glances and she pushed back from the table and stood up quickly. Finn backed away from the table, bumping into the arm of the chair as she did so. She blinked back tears, shaking her head.

"No, we just think-," Dean began, trailing off when she turned heel and hurried out of the room with a sob. Sam gave him a hard look. "Damnit."

"Nice." The younger man's jaw tightened when he heard a door down the hallway slam shut, echoing out in the two storied room. "Real nice."

"What'd Garth say?" Dean leaned forward to rest his forearms on the table top. He looked up at his little brother expectantly. "Sammy?"

"He's worried she's gonna run right back there. Apparently, she's done this a couple other times, although she never ran far or took things to the level she did... telling everyone some of the ugly details behind the closed doors." Sam shook his head. "Dean, we can't leave her alone."

"Yeah, I figured as much." The older man yawned and glanced at the paper plates and empty beer bottles. "Why don't we just let her be for a little bit? I'll clean up here if you throw our laundry in." Sam nodded, a hand on his hip and the other wiping nervously down the scruff on the lower half of his face. "Sam." Dean looked at him pointedly. "Give her some space."

spnspnspnspn

Finn was pacing in her bedroom like a caged animal as she felt her chest tightening with anxiety and some sense of shame mixed with embarrassment. Her anger was misplaced and she knew deep down that Dean and Sam never meant to hurt her feelings; hell, they hadn't even heard from her in two long years. She'd called them on a whim, not even knowing if they'd even answer, let alone remember her. They'd never questioned her absence in the life and had graciously invited her into the place they called home without any pretense, only concerned for her well being.

Which was way more concern than she'd been shown in a long ass time.

Finn rested her hands on the cold porcelain sink and looked up in the mirror at her reflection. Her dyed hair made her cringe; Rick had always preferred blondes over brunettes and made his preferences known in a way that he knew tugged at her emotions, making her insecurities peak.

_You know how much prettier you would be if you were a blonde?_

While it wasn't an order, it wasn't exactly a choice, either. Rick would make off handed comments almost unconsciously after awhile and she knew damn well not to question them anymore. Finn had made the mistake of questioning him a few times and was rewarded with the back of his rough hand. She'd dyed her brown hair every two months, caving into a timid little girl who was eager to please him when he'd come home from work, making sure a hot meal was waiting for him in the dining room.

_You're so perfect darlin', I can't believe you're all mine._

Somewhere along the line, Finn had lost her sense of self in this relationship. The first time she'd pissed Rick off inadvertently, he'd backhanded her immediately and despite her years of training, she never saw the stinging blow coming. All those years of hunting and she didn't even react to the stinging pain on her face, or the blood trickling down her chin from her split bottom lip.

_You don't even understand how lucky you are that I take care of you in every way. Don't be so damn ungrateful, Josie. _

Finn sat down, her hands trembling and her breath coming in little pants. She laid back a moment later on top of her unmade bed and rolled over on her side, her back to the door. Her hands slid over her mouth as she sobbed silently, trying to keep quiet as tears streamed out of her eyes. Her chest had tightened even more and she could swear she could feel her heart shattering into pieces for different reasons.

Garth cared. The Winchesters, who barely knew her, cared.

Rick said he cared, but if he ever truly did, he sure had a fucked up way of showing it.

Finn wiped her face with the tshirt she was wearing and sighed tearfully. Tomorrow was a brand new day. Tomorrow, she'd dye her hair back to her old, normal everyday brown that she hadn't seen in the mirror for so long. Tomorrow, she would face the world with a smile, even if it killed her inside. She was used to pretending everything was fine. Shoving it all down inside and bottling it up and marching on.

Yes, it would all be fine tomorrow.

spnspnspnspn

Sam suddenly remembered that Finn's bed didn't have sheets and headed down to the laundry room where he tossed he and Dean's dirty clothes from their trip to Nashville into the washer. He added some detergent and shut the lid before turning on the cycle. There were stacks of clean sheets in the linen closet and he chose a set before heading down to the room they'd given her.

He knocked quietly and strained to hear a reply. When he didn't hear anything, Sam reached out to turn the knob quietly, surprised to find the bedroom door unlocked. Finn was laying on her right side, her back towards the door. Her breathing was deep and even as she lay there on the bare mattress. Sam frowned, wondering if he should wake her up to put on the sheets.

"Let her sleep." Dean's voice startled him from the doorway. "She'll be fine for tonight." He saw his little brother hesitate. "I was thinking about making a run to the store for some groceries..."

"Tonight?" Sam glanced at Finn before moving his gaze back to his brother.

"It's early."

"Just grab some stuff. Not _all_ crap food, alright?"

"You're no fun, Sam."

spnspnspnspn

Hello lovelies!

Shout out to **SaphyraBlu13** and **EmilyAnnMcGarrett-Winchester** for your reviews on the last chapter. :) Hope you all enjoyed this one as well. Have a wonderful night!

CitrineMama


	5. Chapter 5

Some country music that Finn didn't recognize was wafting through the air softly in between thin wisps of cigarette smoke just below the chatter of the bar's Thursday evening patrons when the heavy wooden door at the front opened a bit, allowing the trio entry into the local watering hole just outside Lebanon.

Finn could feel eyes on her and she suddenly felt the soothing warmth of Dean's hand on her lower back calmed her immediately as they approached a couple barstools. Sam slid onto the cheap imitation leather covered stool and she frowned down at the silver duct tape that sloppily covered a tear in her barstool. "Three beers," Dean ordered from behind them, his eyes moving around the room for potential danger.

The barkeep only nodded and busied himself with the task. Beside Finn, a man in his forties was eyeballing her and she only glanced over at Sam, whose eyes were twinkling with amusement at the man's obvious drunken interest. "Shut up." Finn hissed at him.

Three amber glass bottles were set down on the sticky bar top and Dean thanked the man, who gave another wordless nod. He set a couple napkins down and Dean reached in between Sam and Finn for his beer. "Thanks," Dean gave him a nod.

"I didn't say anything." Sam defended himself to Finn, a smile threatening to reveal itself at the inebriated, glassy eyed patron to the right of their new bunker mate. He leaned forward a tiny bit to eyeball the man on the barstool two over from the brunette. Finn's eyes never left Sam's face as he did so and she reached for her own beer and brought it to her lips before taking a long pull. "I think you got a friend, Finn..."

"Why me?" She sounded beyond irritated and Dean hid a grin of his own before he leaned forward and spoke into her hair softly.

"Because you're cute." He straightened and she gave him a mock glare over her left shoulder. The older brother gave her a dazzling smile and she quirked a brow at him, unamused.

"I'm gonna use that one next time a guy hits on you, Dean." Finn shot back, making Sam laugh out loud.

The older man considered that. "I _am_ cute, though, so can't really blame 'em."

_"Hey."_ The guy on the barstool leaned forward, his elbows on the counter, his gaze boring a hole in the back of Finn's head as she shook her head at Dean. Sam saw her close her eyes briefly. "Hey, gorgeous. How ya doin'?"

"Hi." Her tone was curt and the fact that she was clearly with two men didn't seem to faze him.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He turned on his stool, completely focused on the brunette now, seemingly ignorant of the size and stature of the two men in her company.

"Got one." She held up her beer, distaste on her lips, looking straight ahead, not making eye contact with the drunken man.

"You looking for some good sex?" His drunken question made Dean shift behind her, ready to knock this guy into next week. Shocked, Finn glanced over at the inebriated patron.

_"No."_

"Then you're talking to the right guy." He laughed out loud at his own joke and Finn felt Sam's warm hand on her left knee, letting her know they wouldn't let anything happen to her. She shot him a grateful smile.

"Alright Jack," The barkeep finally spoke, his baritone voice gruff. "You've had enough." He placed a slip of paper in front of the man, who was still chuckling at his own pickup line.

"I'm fine, Tony." His glassy eyes moved to Finn again. "Whaddya say, beautiful?"

"_I_ _say,"_ The barkeep was more firm this time. "I'm gonna call your wife and have her come get you."

"You're no damn fun." He groaned. "I was jus' talkin' to her... I was jus' lookin' to-,"

"You're _lookin'_ to get your ass handed to ya." The barkeep shot Finn a sympathetic look and she knew he'd probably done this before. "I'm calling ya a cab." The man groaned out loud again and handed a few bills to the man.

Dean and Sam were trying and failing to hide their laughter and Finn just shook her head, downing some of her beer. "So what's the occasion, you guys? Why'd we go out tonight?" She set her bottle on the bar top and shifted to look at the both of them. Their laughter subsided and Dean and Sam exchanged thoughtful looks. "Gosh, how on earth do you guys manage to have a conversation right in front of me without a word?"

"We were just wondering..." Sam began carefully.

Dean finished his brother's thought. "How do you feel about going hunting?"

spnspnspnspn

_It was like riding a bike_, Finn supposed. _Research, the best kind of bad-for-you food, friends around the dated wooden table behind their laptops and the soft patter of rain on the motel's thin metal roofing that desperately needed replacing_.

"Just like ridin' a bike, hm?" Dean spoke up around a mouthful of chicken lo mein, his eyes leaving his screen for a moment to study her expression. They'd left the bar, gone back to the bunker and packed their bags for Lincoln, Nebraska. It was less than three hours from the bunker, so they'd left that evening.

"I was just thinking that, actually." She murmured, her eyes scanning the article thoughtfully. "Sam, look at this..." Finn scrolled down a bit further. _"Ten_ miscarriages reported so far." Pause. "All local-ish women."

There was only a few clicks from Sam, followed by twenty seconds of silence, before he spoke. "Sounds like an aswang."

"A what?" Dean took a drink of his soda and looked at his brother expectantly.

"It's a shapeshifter that feeds on babies and small children." Finn turned Sam's laptop towards her to read a bit more. She felt her stomach turn at the thought.

Next to her, the younger man leaned in to read the remainder of the paragraph out loud to his brother. "So they often suck children right out of the womb at night to avoid detection. Salt repels them, among other things."

Finn made a face and set down her white paper box that housed her sweet and sour chicken, Sam's murmur souring her appetite almost immediately. "So I guess that would explain all the seemingly coincidental miscarriages the local paper, hm?"

"The local reporter thought so. Said they're all on the outskirts of town. They cited contaminated water as a possible source, but come on, right? This is right up our alley." Dean set down his empty white container.

Sam scanned another paragraph before he spoke again. "The aswang are said to control the population. They feed exclusively at night and have normal human strength during the day."

Dean closed his laptop. "Fine by me. How do we find 'em and kill 'em?"

"Beheading does the trick." She took a sip from her water bottle as Sam turned his laptop back towards him. "And they have the retinal flare, just like normal shapeshifters."

"So we need to find out what these women have in common and how they were targeted besides where they lived." His emerald eyes moved over Finn's remaining food somewhat longingly. She pushed it towards him without a word and Sam smiled to himself as his brother took out her chopsticks and used his own fork to finish her dinner. Finn got up from the table to flop down on the bed nearest the door and page through the local newspaper that lay there.

"The hospital won't exactly just hand out records of miscarriages like that." Sam frowned, his eyes on his brother as Dean shoveled in a mouthful of chicken and water chestnuts. "Doctor's offices _maybe,_ but not hospitals."

"Midwives? Is that a thing?" Was the older man's question.

"Guys?" Finn was laying on her stomach now, staring at the wanted ads. "When did you say all these miscarriages started?"

"About a month ago." Sam watched her shift to sit on the edge of the bed. "Why?"

"So get this..." She tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. "A month ago, they opened the new labor and delivery wing at the east campus of the hospital." Dean quirked a brow when she looked up.

"That's _not_ a coincidence." He murmured.

"Yeah, no kidding."

Sam grinned at Finn, who gave him a confused look at his sudden change of emotion. "We need to call and get you in there."

"But I'm not pregnant."

"You will be." Dean winked at her.

spnspnspnspn

Finn was straightening her hair in the tiny motel bathroom the next morning when she heard the motel door open and close and Sam greeted Dean. "I got breakfast." He called in to her. "Get it while its greasy."

"Thanks. Just a sec." She unplugged her flat iron and set it down on the sink before shutting off the light. Finn stepped out and was startled by a flying object.

"Catch." Dean had tossed a foam half sphere at her and she caught it.

"The hell is this?"

"Your baby." Sam was rummaging around in the bag. "I just wanted an egg white sandwich, Dean." His tone was slightly whiny.

"So pick the bacon off and I'll eat it." He sat on the bed and took the grease spotted paper bag from his brother. Sam rolled his eyes and looked over at Finn, who was examining the foam. "You gonna try that on?"

"Where did you even get this at eight in the morning?" She was studying the belt that latched in the back.

"Boutique up the road. Took it off the mannequin." Pause. "Got you a dress too. Paid for that, though." Dean's eyes sparkled, amused at his own cleverness.

"Thanks, I guess." She sat down at the table in front of the window and the trio ate quietly. "So what's the plan? Most maternity wards are locked down now. This belly alone isn't going to get me in there, you guys."

Dean crumpled up his sandwich wrapper and tossed it in the garage can nearby. "We got a plan."

"Well, while you were in the shower, I called the hospital and made an appointment for a tour of the birthing unit. Told them you were new to the area and wanted to know what the unit offered and they were happy to have someone walk you through." Sam spoke.

"You're kidding me." She took another bite of her sandwich and pulled one of the paper cups filled with coffee out of the holder.

"Nope." Sam was grinning. "You and Mr. Abernathy have a ten am walk through." Finn stopped chewing for a moment.

"Me and Mr. Abernathy?"

"Better get ready." Dean winked at her. "Gotta get some nice duds on for my wife." That made her blush and Sam chuckled. "We leave in twenty." Finn reached for the yellow paper bag with tissue paper sticking out the top that he held out to her.

A few moments later, Finn was in the bathroom with the door closed, clad in the black dress that fit her nicely, even with the foam belly strapped around her middle. She turned to the side in the mirror, shocked on how she looked. She smoothed the cotton over her bump and took a deep breath. Three taps on the cheap wooden door startled her. "Ya comin', Mrs. Abernathy?" Dean called through the door.

"Yeah." She opened the door and his bright smile faltered just a tiny bit, but she saw it anyway. "Oh God, it looks awful, doesn't it? I-,"

"No, you look great." He closed his eyes for a few seconds. "It just kinda threw me... seeing you looking like that."

And damn, Finn was _not_ prepared to see him in dark denim paired with a tan long sleeved sweater, a button down blue dress shirt peeking out at his neck and wrists.

"Yeah, no kidding." He nodded and she stepped out of the bathroom and Sam was sitting at the table in front of his laptop. His eyes moved to the young woman in maternity clothing and the fake baby bump.

"Wow, you guys look great." Sam cleared his throat. "So keep your eyes open for anyone who seems over eager about you guys and the baby."

"This is _officially_ the weirdest part I've ever played for a case." Finn murmured.

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Hi guys!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sam and Dean are getting her back in the saddle. *grins*

I always kinda loved the _we have to pretend we're a couple for the case_ trope and thought this would be a cute spin on that and I'd never seen it done before.

Leaving for a much needed vacation for two weeks, so I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter. **SaphyraBlu13**, **EmilyAnnMcGarrett**-**Winchester** and **Bren** **Gail**, thank you for your reviews on the last chapter! You guys keep me motivated!

Have a wonderful couple of weeks!

CitrineMama


	6. Chapter 6

Sam insisted on snapping a picture of Dean and Finn with her fake belly on his phone. His brother was grinning like a fool and giving him the thumbs up while the brunette next to him looked somewhat annoyed, but smiled anyway. "You guys are gonna get this one. Call me if you need anything."

"Will do." Dean smoothed out his sweater. "Let's get a move on, hm _honey?"_ That made Finn blush and swat at his arm before they headed towards the door. Sam grinned at the pet name as the two exited the motel room, the cheap wooden door closing behind them. He heard the familiar rumble of the impala's engine start up a moment later as he cropped the picture he'd just taken on his cell phone. It started to ring and Garth's name flashed across the screen.

"Hey buddy, how's it going?"

"Great Sam. How about you guys? How's Finn?"

Sam's brow furrowed; he'd gotten her a new cell phone last month. Hadn't she contacted her oldest friend in the last month she'd been with the Winchesters? "She hasn't called?" He couldn't conceal his surprise and luckily, Garth didn't take offense.

"No. I tried calling her on her new number and she hasn't returned any of my calls." Garth sounded defeated. "I know the last time we talked was the night she got there and I was pretty pissed..."

"Garth, you were worried. You can't beat yourself up for being concerned about her. I get it. It's hard to watch someone you care about spiral downward and give up the fight to claw themselves back out of the hole they're in."

On the other end of the line, the other man sighed. "Are we talking about Finn or Dean?"

Sam smiled a tiny bit. _"Either. Both._ She's gonna be alright. We're actually hunting now up in Lincoln, Nebraska."

"She's hunting again?"

"We eased her in a week ago with two salt and burns. She was ready, I think."

Garth cleared his throat and lowered his voice some. "Don't let her act fool ya... she hides a lot and no one knows that better than me."

"You guys dated some, right?" Sam dared to ask, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Right." There was so much more behind his one word answer. Sam waited patiently for Garth to continue. "She hides a lot behind that smile of hers."

"I can promise you, she's safe with us." Sam took a sip from his bottle of water before recapping it, sitting it down next to his laptop on the table. "I'll tell her to call you when her and Dean get back, alright?"

"I'd appreciate that very much. Whenever you guys get done there, maybe you could make your way up toward me and have dinner or something?" There was hope laced in his quiet question.

"That sounds amazing. I'd love to see you and Bess." Sam sincerely meant that."Talk to ya soon."

"Thanks Sam." The call disconnected.

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Dean pulled into the east wing of the hospital and shifted into park near the main entrance. "You alright?" He looked over at Finn who took a couple deep breaths. "Finn?" The brunette relaxed some before she spoke.

"I'm nervous." She admitted quietly, looking out the windshield at a woman in light blue scrubs who was walking towards the front entrance. He turned the engine off and jingled his keys.

"Me too."

"What if this doesn't work?"

"It'll work." Dean slid his hips forward in the seat and reached in his pocket, digging around until he found what he was looking for. "Almost forgot." He withdrew his hand, a ring between his index finger and thumb. "Picked this up at a pawn shop... hopefully it fits ya." The dainty ring was rose gold with a smallish emerald cut diamond.

"Boy, were you busy this morning." Finn slid it on her left ring finger, holding her hand out to admire it. "It's beautiful, actually." Her eyes moved from her hand to Dean, who wore a soft smile. "Thank you, Dean."

"Well, it's yours then." Dean moved his own ring to his left ring finger. "So as far as our backstory... we've been married five years, just moved in from Houston. Jobs brought us here." He looked over at Finn, who was admiring her ring again, making him smile wider. "You want a boy or girl?"

"Boy."

"Our boy is due..." He paused as he counted back the months. "In August. You're about seven months in, alright? What is that? 28 weeks or so?"

Finn blinked at his words. "Yeah."

"Let's go." Dean got out and walked around the car to open her door. He pulled her out gently and she pushed at his hands unconsciously. "Sweetheart," His hands clasped hers firmly and she looked up at him with wide eyes, her belly touching his. "Don't do that." Dean's murmur barely reached her ears.

"Do what?"

"Push me away. I'm supposed to be your husband. We don't know who might _already_ be watching us."

Finn closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Dean..." She felt him lean in to kiss her forehead. Dean felt her flinch at the affectionate contact. "I just keep..." There was a sense of shame in her demeanor and he sighed, his lips against her forehead for a few more seconds.

"Finn, I'm not him." Dean whispered and she nodded, her eyes closing for a few seconds until he pulled back some to eye her and gauge her emotions. "Alright?"

That made a fresh batch of tears well up in her eyes. "I know."

"I need to either hold your hand or you hold my arm or something. Just relax, alright? Take a couple deep breaths." Dean's thumbs smoothed over her knuckles in what he hoped was a soothing gesture. "Walk slow, you're pregnant, Finn. I'm right here with you. We got this."

"We got this." She repeated, dropping her gaze from his. Dean let go of her hands and let her slide her right hand around the crook of his left arm as they headed at a slower pace that either one of them was used to across the lot to the main entrance. There were signs directing them towards the atrium of the medical center and they kept their eyes open for anything suspicious.

"Hello there," An overly perky blonde smiled from behind the glass as they approached the desk in the labor and delivery department. "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Abernathy."

"That we are." Both managed smiles and she reached down for a pack of papers.

"I'll buzz you in through the door on your left."

"Thank you," Dean spoke and he felt Finn grip his bicep a little more. He patted her hand comfortingly and the door opened to allow them entry onto the locked unit. The blonde shook both their hands before she started her spiel about the unit and all it had to offer the couple.

"I'm Alissa, the unit coordinator. I have this informational folder for you," She handed the pink and blue glossy folder to Dean. "Just contact numbers and a bunch of coupons and such for the very near future." Alissa focused on Finn. "So how far along are you?"

"Uh," For a second, she blanked, feeling her face flush at her mistake.

"Twenty eight weeks and ain't that pregnancy brain a bitch." Dean spoke, a dazzling smile on his mouth. "We're having a boy, our first."

"That is so exciting." Alissa waved them on around the corner. "Up here are the suites. We want our new parents to feel comfortable at all times and we actually deliver and recover in the same rooms. They're set up as both so if there should be a problem with mom or baby, we wont lose precious minutes moving them to another area for intervention."

"That is so important." Dean bullshitted like the expert he was.

"And spouses are encouraged to take an active role and spend the nights here until mom and baby are discharged. There are extra beds in the rooms so we can make you as comfortable as possible." Alissa went on, pulling open a door to a vacant room to show the suites to the couple.

"How long is the average stay after birth?" Finn asked quietly.

"Average stay is three days. Our lactation consultant is also on call 24 hours a day. Are you planning on breastfeeding your little one?"

"Um, I guess so."

"Breast _is_ best." The blonde giggled and Dean patted Finn's hand in the crook of his arm. "This is the room for the newborns." There were a couple babies swaddled in plastic bins behind the wall of glass and each had a nurse in light blue scrubs attending to them.

"This unit is secure?" Dean asked his next question. "I just want to make sure my wife and our baby are safe at all times."

"Of course." Alissa answered smoothly. "We have an attendant 24 hours a day at the nursing station to man to door as well as cameras on every hallway on this unit."

"I don't mean to be paranoid, but is someone watching those cameras all the time?" He pressed even further. His question seemed to surprise her and she swallowed, her confident facade suddenly wavering.

"They _are_ recording 24 hours a day and if there's ever an issue, then we review the footage."

"So... no one's watching them now?"

"No." Alissa glanced at the door down the hallway, presumably at the door housing their ample security cameras. "If you'll both step down this way, I can get you set up for an appointment with the lactation consultant and have you fill out a few forms..." Dean patted her hand again and this time she took his cue.

"I am so sorry, Alissa," Finn managed to look embarrassed. "I _really_ have to pee."

Alissa grinned knowingly and pointed down the hallway towards the security door. "Third door on your left. We can wait for you right here."

"She'll find us. I'd love to get those forms filled out as soon as possible." Dean spoke up, getting the blonde's attention away from Finn. "We actually have to get to her ultrasound here very shortly and I don't want to be late..."

"Of course..." Alissa led him around the corner and he shot her a look before she ducked out of sight.

Finn walked down the hallway and to the security door. It was surprisingly unlocked, but holes for a lock had been drilled, but not yet installed on the new unit. She slipped inside and eight cameras were up on two computer screens. She scanned them both, waiting for the shifter.

She saw Dean and Alissa in a room filling out some papers. Alissa laughed at something he said, but there was no flare visible in the blonde's gaze, although she did seem to be checking out Dean, which sorta pissed her off. He was supposed to be her husband and the way that Alissa was eyeing him up reminded her of some school girl having a crush on her male teacher or something.

Nurses milled up and down the hallways and into the nursing station but there was nothing for her to see until she glanced up at the office camera and saw a second woman had joined them. Dean shook her hand after what seemed to be an introduction and Finn watched as she collected the papers from him before turning to leave.

_There it was._

Finn slipped out of the room undetected and headed towards the office where Dean and Alissa were chatting. "Hey sweetheart."

"I'm suddenly not feeling real good."

"Do you want some water?" Alissa was immediately feigning concern and Finn forced herself not to roll her eyes.

"I'm okay. Just need to get a snack." Finn looked at Dean pointedly and he got the hint. "You fill out the paperwork, _honey?"_

"Yeah, the lactation consultant just left actually." He paused. "But dumb me forgot our new address. You're sure it's alright if I stop up later on to drop that off, Alissa?" He flashed the blonde another smile and she nodded eagerly.

"Of course. I'm here until six."

"Perfect." Dean's warm hand found Finn's lower back. "C'mon, we'll get ya something to eat, sweetheart." They were escorted to the door and they left the labor and delivery unit. Finn managed to wait until the elevator was closed before she spoke.

"It's the lactation chick."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. Retinal flash. No doubt."

"We gotta have Sam find us a someplace so we can give this thing an address to come to."

Finn looked down at her belly, then leaned forward to look at her flat dress shoes. "How would you even put your shoes on? Sheesh."

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Rick was sitting in front of the laptop, scanning the screen for any recent activity on her credit cards Josie had for emergencies. Again and again over the last couple weeks, his search had come up empty. He swore softly before reaching to his right for the amber glass bottle. To his dismay, it was already empty, along with two others. Pushing back from the office desk, his angry pacing was halted by the ringing of her cell phone.

It was a private number and he picked it up before thumbing it on. "Hello?" There wasn't a reply and Rick spoke again, a little more insistence. _"Hello?"_

"Stop looking for her."

"Excuse me?" A chill worked its way down his spine at the sinister tone on the other end. "Who the fuck is this?"

The line disconnected and he threw her phone against the wall.

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Hey y'all!

First, I'm so sad that the guys announced season 15 would be the last. :(

Second, HOLY CRAP tonight's episode was freaking crazy! I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet, but just _wow._

Third, special shout outs to **SaphyraBlu13** and **EmilyAnnMcGarrett-Winchester** for your reviews on the last chapter. Love you both and you make my day! Thanks to those who are following this story as well!

Don't be shy... leave me a review! Have a great week!

CitrineMama


	7. Chapter 7

Dean closed the trunk after the red and white _for rent_ signs were inside and his duffle full of weaponry was hoisted onto his shoulder. He walked down the sidewalk and up the stairs to the fully furnished rental apartment where Sam and Finn were setting things up. "Alright... got our stuff. The apartment office is closed until Tuesday. Holiday weekend." Dean informed them and Finn sat down on the arm of the chair in the living room. "Sam's gonna leave and I'm gonna call that Alissa chick and see if I can get her on the phone."

"And tell her what?"

"Tell her I need to stop by to fill out the rest of that paperwork and give her this address so _monster lactation lady_ can find us." Dean checked his gun clip before sliding it in the back of his jeans under his flannel shirt. "Weirdest shit I've said in awhile." He shook his head. "That will leave you here, seemingly unattended." His eyes met hers and Sam saw Finn bite her lip, clearly nervous about being bait. "Finn, we won't let anything happen to you, alright?" She forced a smile and Dean's gaze shifted to Sam. "You know what to do. Sammy's close by and so am I."

"You're safe, Finn." Sam confirmed and she nodded, pushing her brown hair back. She was wearing the fake belly underneath the back cotton maternity black dress from earlier that day, fluffy slippers on her feet. Sam was dressed in jeans and a button up shirt with the name _'John'_ stitched on the left chest. He picked up his handyman style metal toolbox off the counter top and she knew without a shadow of a doubt his weapons were tucked inside. Sam patted her shoulder as he walked by, sliding on a matching baseball cap. "You three way call us and leave your phone on the counter. Leave the line open so we can hear you."

"I got it." Sam slipped out the door and Finn's clammy hands turned her phone over nervously as her attention shifted to the older man a few feet away. "Dean, I'm scared."

Her admission made Dean sat his bag down and move closer to where she was still half sitting on the arm chair. "Finn, I promise you, I won't let _anyone_ hurt you." Tears sprang to her eyes when he said that; he'd said anyone, not _anything._ His mossy eyes spoke volumes and she stepped into his arms and he hugged her tight, his arms around her shoulders and his chin on top of her head, her fake belly squished between them.

"Thank you." Her choked whisper made Dean smile slightly, the creases at the edges of his eyes deepening. She hadn't flinched when he'd touched her this time and he was grateful for that. Dean allowed the brunette let him go first before he took half a step back, his warm hands moving to her shoulders, his gaze focused on hers.

"Call me and Sammy as soon as I walk out that door." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's almost 6 o'clock. I'm gonna call her." He pressed a few buttons and held the phone up to his ear. "Hey Alissa, it's Mr. Abernathy. Yeah, I was just seeing if you were still there so we could get the rest of those papers out of the way tonight?" He paused. "I can be there in fifteen minutes. Yeah. Sounds great." Dean gave her a thumbs up. "She's resting now. Just gonna be me." Finn made a face and he winked at her. "See you soon." He thumbed off the phone. "She doesn't even care that we're married." Dean scoffed. "Kinda gross, if you ask me."

"You _knew_ she was flirting with you today?" Finn asked incredulously.

"I'm not blind."

Finn just gaped at him. "I thought it was completely inappropriate."

"It is." Dean patted his bag. "Call me." With that, he was gone, the door closing behind him softly. Finn called both the brothers and set her phone down nearby on the coffee table face down before she laid down on the couch. She tried to get comfortable by pulling the fluffy throw over herself, a freshly sharpened machete next to her thigh.

"And now we wait," She murmured softy, knowing the boys could hear her.

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Sam was busying himself by tightening the screws on the frames surrounding the apartment mailboxes when he saw a navy blue SUV pull in past him. He got a good look at the driver and gave a friendly nod as she passed him. He pulled out his phone from his chest pocket. "Dean? Some brunette in an SUV just pulled past me. You got eyes on her?"

"Just a second..." Dean murmured. He was standing in the dark garage directly across from the stairs leading up to the apartment where Finn was waiting. The SUV parked and a dark haired woman got out, yanking a bag of groceries out as well, groaning as she dropped her car keys.

She bent over to pick them up, the reusable grocery bag in her left arm. Her phone rang them and she answered it as she straightened. "Yeah?" As she turned, Dean got a good look at her as she headed into the apartment two over on the first floor. "I'm just getting back from the store..." Her voice trailed off as she walked away.

"Not her, Sammy. Keep watching." Dean murmured softly.

Upstairs, the news was playing on the tv softly and Finn blinked sleepily, suddenly physically and emotionally drained. She reached out for her phone and saw that the call between the three of them had been going for over forty minutes now and there was no sign of this aswang thing. "Guys? I don't know if she's coming." She picked up the phone, putting it to her ear.

"Hang in there, Finn. It's a fifteen, maybe twenty minute drive to the hospital and we don't know where she's camped out." Sam was ever the voice of reason. "It's been almost forty five minutes since Dean called that other chick."

"I'm getting tired just sitting here." She stifled her yawn and Dean sighed over the line.

"Stay focused here, Finn. You can sleep all the way home."

"I just feel so sleepy." She got up from the couch and headed into the kitchen, hoping against all odds there was something in the fridge to drink. Finn opened the refrigerator door and was greeted with a single box of baking soda. "I need some coffee or something." She closed it and turned, the phone to her ear, spotting a mostly full bottle of water on the counter near her purse. It wasn't hers and she figured it was one of the theirs.

"Stay alert." Sam spoke softly and Finn gulped down half the bottle and frown at the bitter aftertaste. She sputtered and coughed. "Finn? What's going on?" Concern laced his voice.

"I drank your water that was sitting here." She murmured, frowning when she felt her head start to spin within a few seconds. "Oh my gosh... there's something wrong with this..." She dropped to her knees and felt half sick from the vertigo. Finn's phone clattered to the floor a few feet away from her.

"Finn?" Dean was instantly on alert, his stomach dropping as he started towards the apartment, knowing something was wrong.

"Shit." Sam's long legs were already carrying him across the terrace towards the apartment. His adrenaline was pumping and he knew his brother was circling back. Finn couldn't hear them and she felt a cold chill run down her spine, sensing she was no longer alone in the apartment.

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The two men entered the apartment, one from the sliding glass doors off the small patio and the other through the apartment's front door. She blinked, her eyes struggling to focus on the three figures in front of her. The sounds of several instances of bodily contact ensued before the sound of a freshly sharpened machete sliced through the air. A resounding thud on the recently refinished hardwood floor was something Finn recognized as she closed her eyes, the weight of a decapitated head hitting the floor near her feet.

That was the last thing she recalled before Finn felt a pair of strong arms scoop her up off the couch and she slid up against a warm chest. She whimpered quietly and was shushed by a familiar voice. "I got ya." He soothed quietly, his mouth close to her ear. "We got her, Finn." It was Sam, she realized, feeling herself relax with that very thought. She was safe now.

Finn only nodded sleepily and let him carry her, her eyes still closed. She felt herself being moved some distance before being deposited carefully in the back seat of the impala where she flopped down on the soft leather. "I found the sleeping pills in her pocket." Dean's voice broke into her sleep as he spoke to Sam, his voice gruff. "She's alright, we just gotta keep an eye on her."

"What about the body?"

"We gotta take care of it. There's some woods behind the complex..."

"I'll grab the shovels..."

Finn barely felt the slam of the car door or the trunk being closed after they'd retrieved the shovels. Their footsteps crunched away across the fallen leaves, intent on completing the hunt. The driver's side door opened after an undetermined amount of time had passed. The cool air breezed across her face, making her stir slightly. "You okay back there, Finn?" It was Sam's voice again and she groaned in response. He smirked and his weight settled into the passenger seat, puling the door closed as Dean's opened.

"Finn? You alive back there?"

"What was that?" Was her slurred reply.

"An assload of sleeping pills." Was Dean's reply. He reached out to pull his door closed before starting the engine. "You keep talking to us, hm? I don't know how many you actually had in that bottled water."

The ride was quiet and she felt someone's hand over her mouth and she shoved weakly at the intrusion. "Just making sure you're breathin', buttercup." Was Sam's response. The bottle of pills his brother had discovered on the monster had several missing. Finn _had_ drank half the drugged water, so he wanted to make sure she was alright. Dean glanced over at his brother, thankful Sam was as concerned as he was.

"Well, that's another one on the books." Dean continued, his eyes moving to the windshield as he pulled out of the paved lot. The fading sun gave way to the darkened road ahead as he drove the trio back to the motel. "I figure we grab our stuff and head back to the bunker for the night?" He glanced over at Sam again. "I don't know about you, but I kinda wanna sleep in my own bed."

"Ditto."

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The three hour drive passed quickly, with Sam checking on Finn every half hour or so, her small hand swatting weakly at his breathing checks away each time. The garage door opened, spilling light out into the darkness of the evening and each time it returned, it reminded them of a lighthouse.

A beacon of light in the darkness that threatened to take over their lives everyday.

The two men got out of the impala and Dean pulled open the back door. "Finny Finn Finn... we're home. You walkin' in or am I carryin' ya?" She grunted a response and he looked over the top of the car at his brother. "I'll get her if you grab our bags, Sammy."

Sam pulled their three bags out of the trunk before disappearing down the stairs to the main floor and Dean leaned down and reached in the backseat to tug the brunette into a sitting position. "Just let me sleep here." She whined, her eyes still closed.

Dean ignored her and slid his hands sliding underneath her shoulders and knees, hoisting her out with a grunt, barely missing hitting the top of his head on the roof of his car. He bumped the door closed with his hip before carefully carrying the groggy woman down the cement stairs to her bedroom. She was drooling just a tiny bit, her lips parted slightly with her light snores.

_Probably the most relaxed she'd been in a long time, _Dean mused silently as he carried her down the tiled hallway. After pushing open her bedroom door with his foot, he lay her down on the bed and pulled a blanket over her before turning on the bedside lamp. Dean stood there for a moment, taking her in before closing her door most of the way as he left her bedroom, heading for the showers.

He stripped down before turning on the hot water and getting in his shower stall. It was late and he suddenly felt his own exhaustion kick in, allowing him to relax. Hunts always made him all jacked up on adrenaline and until they'd moved into the bunker a handful of years ago, he'd never truly felt relaxed. The bunker was safe from the outside world and he almost always felt rested after a night of sleep on his memory foam.

Dean rinsed off quickly and got out. Tucking the towel around his hips, he padded out into the hallway on bare feet and headed towards his room to get some pajamas on. He clicked on his light and pulled on some cotton sleep pants and a gray tshirt before heading back down to Finn's bedroom. He heard the water running in the shower room and knew Sam was in there.

Finn was still laying in the same position he'd left her in and his gaze flickered over her features, relaxed with sleep. He stood in the doorway for a moment before heading down to his own room. His phone was sitting on his nightstand where Sam had placed it, his bag on the floor. He thumbed it on and hit a few numbers before holding it up to his ear. "Call me when you get this..."

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Hey lovelies!

**SaphyraBlu13** and **EmilyMcGarrett-Winchester-** thank you so much for your reviews! Glad you look forward to Finn's story. :)

Finn has been out of the life for a couple years and made the mistake of putting herself in harm's way, but the boys were on it. Thanks for reading and I'd love it if you left me a review! Have an amazing week!

CitrineMama


	8. Chapter 8

Finn was up bright and early the next morning after sleeping off the pills from the aswang and Sam was more than surprised at her presence in the bunker's kitchen where she was perched on the counter top, sitting indian style, a white mug of coffee in her hands. "Morning." He gave her a smile which she returned somewhat cautiously.

"Morning, Sam." He could feel her watching him as he fixed himself a mug at the coffee station next to the table. "I'm really sorry about last night."

Sam turned to look at her before sitting down at the table with his coffee, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why are you sorry? We got her, Finn."

Finn lowered her mug to her lap, her small hands clasped around it. "I got a little careless. I fucked up, Sam. Could've gotten you guys hurt. Or worse." Her answer was soft and her eyes sparkled with tears.

His sleepy smile didn't make her feel any less terrible. "Finn, you're just getting back in the game here. No one got hurt and we're all home safe. No worries." Her eyes moved from his, clearly avoiding something. "Or... is this about something else?" Curiosity threaded its way into his tone.

That made the brunette close her eyes. "I just feel... a little lost sometimes."

"Lost?"

"Lost in pretending that I'm okay." She swallowed hard. "Thank you for coming to get me at the bus station. I don't know where I'd be if..."

"You have a home here now." He waited until she looked up at him so he could gauge her emotions. "I mean it. Dean and I want ya safe."

Finn's eyes welled up with tears, but this time, they were happy ones. "You guys are amazing."

Sam took a slow sip from his mug. "If you say so." They were quiet for a moment. "I talked to Garth while you and Dean were at the hospital. He says he's been trying to get ahold of ya since I got you that new phone."

Finn sighed heavily. "I know. And I don't wanna talk to him."

"I know it might be a little weird, but he cares about you."

"He's pissed off at me."

Sam set his coffee down. "He isn't, Finn. He's concerned and he feels bad that he got pissed off at you last time you talked." He watched her stare down into her nearly empty mug. "He asked if the three of us would come out his way and have dinner with his family soon."

That made Finn's hazel eyes snap to his. "You know he and I used to date right?"

"I know."

"So I don't wanna go."

"Bess is wonderful and she-,"

"It's not about _her."_

"What's it about, then?"

Finn blinked rapidly before she finally spoke, her tone softer this time. "Because no matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I wanted it... not everybody's stories have happy endings." Sam considered that, a thoughtful expression on his features. "And I _certainly_ don't wanna see his happy fuckin' life with the white picket fence and some kids and a dog and this perfect wife..."

"You really loved him." It wasn't a question.

"He deserved better than me, Sam." Finn wiped her left eye with the heel of her hand. "I loved Garth enough to let him go. And it was the right choice because look how happy he is. The only way I can live with myself is knowing I did the right thing, even though it broke my heart."

"You still love him?"

"As my friend, is all." She sniffled. "I'm happy for him but the thing that haunts me is that _this,"_ She gestured to the kitchen around them. "This isn't _normal._ This isn't the way normal people live. We _survive._ And maybe that's what I need to accept. My life won't ever _be_ normal. I thought that with Rick, I might actually have that, and look how that shit turned out." She sounded bitter and hell, Sam couldn't blame her.

"There's nothing wrong with surviving, Finn." Sam spoke quietly. "And things usually work themselves out."

Finn smiled sadly. "Not for people like us, Sam." Before he could reply, Dean's slippered feet shuffled up the hallway and Sam looked over at her as if to say, _this conversation isn't over._

"Mornin'," Deans voice was even lower in the morning. He could feel the tension in the kitchen as he moved down the steps towards the coffee pot. "What's for breakfast?"

"What are you making?" Sam smartassed his brother, earning a look.

"I'm making my coffee." He glanced at Finn. "How you feelin', sweetheart?"

"Alive."

He took a sip of his coffee. "Alive's good." Dean saw Sam glance at Finn. "So what are you two pissed off about, hm?"

"Nothing." Finn's eyes moved to Sam's. Dean moved to the fridge and pulled out some eggs and bacon and she moved to look in the pantry. He pulled out a cast iron skillet for the front burner after tying his robe shut. He hummed as he worked and Finn watched him move around to coordinate the food before she spoke. "It's nothing... we were just talking about Garth."

"Speaking of which... he called and left me a message about how he wants us all to come out and visit him sometime soon." Dean gave her a sideways glance, sensing her upset.

She immediately looked to Sam. "He did, hm?"

"Yeah." The older man was slicing open the package of bacon with a paring knife. "That gonna be an issue?"

"I don't really think it's appropriate that I go."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Well, he invited all of us, so we're going." Dean confirmed, his tone leaving no room for an argument.

Or so Sam thought.

"I'm not _going."_ Finn said firmly.

Dean finished laying the first ten strips of bacon in the hot pan. "It's not a request. We're _all_ going, Finn."

"Dean," The brunette could feel herself getting even more upset. "I'm not _going."_ He turned to look at her, a curious look on his face.

"Just gonna dodge this like you've been dodging all his calls?" He and Sam had had some time to talk while they were burying the body last night behind the apartment buildings and Sam had informed him of the conversation he'd had with Garth while Dean and Finn were scoping out the hospital the day before.

That did it. "I'm not _fucking_ going and if you think otherwise, then you're going to gave to drag me out of here."

Dean, seemingly unbothered by her angry words, simply shrugged. "Okay." Finn turned her glare on Sam, who remained neutral. She looked back to Dean, who gave no notice of her anger. "You want your eggs over easy?"

"I'm not hungry." She stormed out of the kitchen and they heard the bedroom door slam and echo across the tiled hallway.

"You really have a way with women, Dean."

He chuckled as he flipped the bacon with tongs. "She's pissed off and wants to argue. Let her cool off." He wrapped up the other half of the bacon with plastic wrap before putting it back into the fridge. Sam didn't protest when he saw Dean pull the bacon before cracking their eggs directly into the bacon grease.

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There was a knock and Finn glared at her bedroom door. "Yes?"

"It's me."

"I'm not going."

"You wanna come down to the gym and spar with me a little?" The mattress squeaked and a few second passed before her door opened. Dean was standing there, his green eyes sparkling. "You looked like you wanted to kick my ass earlier anyway." There was a tiny smirk on his mouth that he couldn't help; Finn wasn't being a bitch, she was just passionate about being pissed off.

"I still might." Her tone was grumpy. He nodded his head in the direction of the workout room and Finn followed reluctantly.

They were quiet as they stepped inside and Dean turned to face her, the door closing behind them. He relaxed a bit and widened his stance a bit, putting his fists up some. "C'mon."

"I don't wanna do this, Dean."

"You walked down here." He circled her and she groaned loudly. Quick as a wink, Dean's strong arm slid around her neck and shoulder. Finn anticipated his movement and used his momentum to flip him over her on his back to the mat and it was his turn to groan. She was staring down at him and he wrapped a strong hand around her ankle and yanked a bit to throw her off balance. Finn fell to the side of him and found herself on her back with him over her, his hand around her throat. His thighs were between hers and she grunted, trying to loosen his hold before throwing her legs up around his torso and squeezing him as tight as she could.

He was grinning at her until Finn dug a heel into his lower back painfully, making his growl and loosen his hold. She rolled them over and he caught her wrists with both hands. She was straddling him now and he arched to throw her off and get the upper hand. They rolled again and Finn had given up tactics, punching his arms and torso repeatedly until he caught her hands. "Finn."

She was crying now and he moved off her and pulled her into his lap in the middle of the floor. His arms came around her and hugged her close. The brunette was pissed off and she needed someplace to vent that. "I fucking _hate_ this."

"What?"

"That I have to be saved all the damn time."

"What are you talking about?"

"Garth tried to save me, you guys saved me at the bus station and again last night..."

"So what? We're a team."

"I just feel like I'm this helpless little girl." Finn whispered into the soft cotton of his tshirt. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Finn. I just think your anger is in the wrong place."

Finn froze. She was fully expecting him to say something along the lines if _suck it up._ "What?"

"Who are you really mad at, here? Garth, that ex asshole or yourself?" His chin rested on the top of her hair as she thought about that. "You did the brave thing already. You _ran._ Now it's time to heal."

"Who are you?" She whispered, remembering all the whiskey and guilt she'd seen him go through years before. "_Christo_."

He smiled to himself. "If you have a broken arm, you take some time to rest, let it set and heal. Why should you just jump back into things when you still have all this weighing on you? I'm the one who should be sorry, Finn. Maybe I pulled ya back in too quick."

"I think I needed to go back in. Helping people always made me feel like what I did mattered. I just wanna know that my life matters, y'know?"

"Our lives _all_ matter. This world wouldn't be the same if we weren't in it." Finn felt him hum a bit before pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. "Finn, you need to come with us to see Garth. I know it sucks, but you need to do this. Rip off the proverbial band aid."

"Let me think about it."

"That's all I ask."

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"I feel sick." Finn murmured and Dean heard her over the rumble of the engine anyways.

"Don't puke in my car." Sam gave him a pointed look. "I mean, if you need me to pull over, I will."

"I don't know about this, you guys." The ride to Garth's house took a few hours and it was just enough time for her mind to come up with all sorts of scenarios that would likely never happen. "Maybe I should wait in the car, or get me a motel room for the night..."

"We're just going to visit friends." Sam spoke soothingly. "We're gonna have dinner and hang out for the evening. Have a few beers and we'll be back home in the morning." Finn took a tiny sip of her bottled water. Her stomach had been turning for days, knowing she was going to be face to face with the man she'd been avoiding for more than a month now. Finn could barely eat sometimes when she thought about it or else she could eat an entire bag of chips without even noticing until they were all gone. There was literally no in between for the strange ways her anxiety reared it ugly head.

Dean had pulled off the highway several minutes ago and when they turned into a nice neighborhood with sidewalks near an elementary school, Finn felt her stomach sinking to her feet. They seemed to know Garth's neighborhood extremely well and navigate the tree lined streets easily. Had Garth Sam and Dean all been closer than she'd known about the last few years when she was with Rick? What _else_ had she missed out on?

Before she could even question the boys, Finn found herself getting out the the impala's rear passenger side and the trio closing their doors. Her eyes took in the craftsman styled home with the big front porch with a couple brown wicker patio chairs with muted blue cushions as she trailed up the paved front walkway behind the brothers.

Dean reached out and rang the doorbell before the sounds of the door unlocked from the other side made Finn hold her breath.

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A/N:

Hey lovely readers,

First, thank you to **SaphyraBlu13** and **EmilyAnnMcGarrett-Winchester** for your reviews on chapter 7! You guys are awesome! Also thanks to those who have added this story to their alerts.

Second, HOLY SHIT that season finale! I will not spoil anything for those of you who haven't watched it yet. Just _wow._ Best one yet! If you wanna freak out about it with me, PM me. ;)

This chapter was meant to be informational, so not much action. I will make up for that soon. Promise. ;)

Have a wonderful week!

CitrineMama


	9. Chapter 9

Dean reached out and rang the doorbell before the sounds of the door being unlocked from the other side made Finn hold her breath.

Garth answered, pulling the red door open wide, a huge smile on his face. "Hey guys, glad y'all made it." He hugged Sam, then Dean before his eyes fell on Finn. "Hey Finn..." She felt her throat tighten and the air around them thicken. Finn forced a smile and took a step forward between the two brothers for a long overdue hug from her ex before they were interrupted by a tiny shriek.

"Unca Sam! Unca Dee!" A mess of dark honeyed curls shoved past Garth's long legs and bolted to the two men who flanked the brunette. Sam leaned down to ruffle her hair playfully and she giggled before Dean reached down and swung the tiny girl up into his arms and settled her onto his left hip.

"There's my special girl." His eyes sparkled and Finn watched the little girl wave a sticky hand at Sam. "You miss me and Uncle Sam?"

Her chubby arm slid around his neck and she canted her head, nuzzling her head into his, her bright blue eyes on Sam, who was grinning at her. She waved her fingers at him somewhat impatiently and he grinned before taking her hand.

"Nice to see you, princess Ava." She wiggled in Dean's arms, clearly pleased with Sam's words. "Where's your mommy?"

"Right here." Bess was slightly out of breath as she approached the group. She was as beautiful as Finn remembered and was very clearly pregnant. "C'mon in, dinner's about ready." Garth stepped back after prying his daughter from Dean's arms and the blonde hugged each of the brothers before hugging a very surprised Finn as well. "Why don't you boys wash up and we'll finish things in the kitchen?"

Garth shot Finn an apologetic look before the three men headed down a corridor, the little girl in tow before Finn followed Bess into a country styled kitchen. The cabinets were an off white and the countertops were some sort of gray swirly marble. A round oak table sat in the bay window over a built in bench and two chairs sat on the other side. Of course there were fresh flowers in a vase in the center of the table. Everything looked like a magazine cover.

The appliances were white and the refrigerator was littered with scribbled pictures, presumably by Ava, and various alphabet magnets of all colors. Bess watched Finn look around her kitchen before she spoke softly, knowing how nervous the other woman must be.

"Finn, I'm so glad you're here. Garth has been so worried about you." She pulled a stack of plates down from a cabinet near the stove and handed them to brunette, nodding to the table.

"I know." Her voice was quiet and unsure as she turned from the blonde towards the table again.

Bess pulled open the drawer between the oven and the fridge and counted out enough flatware for the adults and got out plastic ones for her daughter. "This doesn't have to be weird, you know."

"I used to date your husband. How can this not be weird for you?" There was a sense of shame in her voice and Bess tugged at her apron a bit before she spoke.

"I know you did." Bess watched Finn set the plates down on the table and she handed her the forks and spoons. "That doesn't matter to me. If Sam and Dean are family, then so are you." Bess brushed by her to move the clear glass vase with the flowers to the closest countertop as so not to obstruct their views across the table during dinner.

The brunette turned to look out the window to the patio when she was done with the place settings. "Ava's just beautiful." Her eyes were on the little girl who was on Dean's hip again as the trio stood on the deck, chatting animatedly. "She loves Dean. Do the boys come here often?" Finn glanced back at Garth's wife, awaiting her answer.

"Once a month or so, seems like. They always make over Ava and she just eats it right up." Bess smiled fondly to herself as she shut off the oven. "She certainly has Dean wrapped around her little finger, that one."

"She sure does." Finn's gaze shifted back to the window, her eyes focused on the little girl in Dean's arms who was currently petting his stubbled cheek fondly as he spoke to her daddy.

"I bet if Ava asked any one of those three for the moon, they'd find a way." Bess leaned over to pull out the meatloaf and the scalloped potatoes to place on the stove top, oven mitts adorning her hands.

"Probably." Finn turned her attention to the young woman behind her. "When are you due?" She felt intrusive asking and the woman sighed and fanned herself with an oven mitt as she leaned against the counter.

"Not soon enough." Bess blew her wispy bangs back before puling out a spatula and a spoon. "You wanna tell the kids we're eating with or without them?"

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After dinner was eaten and the dishes rinsed and stacked in the dishwasher by Finn and Dean, the group moved out onto the patio. Dean and Sam led Ava out onto the lawn were they started kicking a pink rubber ball back and forth while she squealed with laughter. Bess patted Garth's back as she pushed herself up off the white wicker chair. "I'm gonna put on some coffee." She gave him a meaningful look which Finn didn't see.

She was leaning forward as she watched two of the baddest hunters she'd ever known turn into two giant kids, her forearms on the deck railing. The sliding door closed behind them and Garth spoke. "I'm glad you're here."

"I didn't really wanna come."

"I just needed to know you were alright."

Finn hung her head for a few seconds, feeling the guilt creep up her spine. "I'm sorry for ignoring your calls."

"You were mad... I get that." He leaned against the railing next to Finn and she glanced over at him. "I always wanted you to be happy, Josephine, whether it was with me or not." That made tears sting her eyes.

"Me too." They were quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "Thank you for worrying about me. Sometimes that was the only thing that got me through the really bad days."

"You're safe now."

"I know."

Garth studied her profile and spoke quietly. "You can't keep it inside, you know. Bottling it all up... you know that won't ever do you any good." His voice was gentle and she nodded. "I'll never stop worrying about you, Jospehine."

"I'm okay now." That was a lie and they both knew it.

"I hope so."

The sliding door opened behind them and Bess called out. "Who wants coffee?"

"Meeee!" Ava squealed and Sam scooped her up to carry her up the couple of steps to where Garth, Finn and Bess were moving to sit at the patio table. Bess was armed with a handful of mugs and a carafe.

"You're too small for coffee." Sam set her down and she ran to Garth, pouting. Finn watched him give her a pointed look as she climbed onto his lap. Ava put her chubby hands on the sides of his face, making him look her in the eyes.

"Daddy. I _want_ to have coffee."

Garth eyed his daughter, her green eyes sparkling. "Baby, no coffee. How about hot chocolate?"

Dean slid into the chair at the table next to Finn. "You're spoiling her." He teased.

That made Bess laugh. "Well he learned it from watching _you,_ Dean."

The oldest man shrugged as Finn poured herself a mug and slid the carafe and a yellow mug his way. "I don't have kids, and besides," He poured some steaming coffee for himself. "That's what you're supposed to do when you're her favorite uncle."

Sam snorted and pulled the carafe his way. "Favorite uncle, _my ass."_

Ava watched the exchange between the adults before she spoke. "Hot chocolate, Daddy." With a sigh, he handed her over to Dean and went inside the sliding doors.

"So you guys, I hate to be the party pooper, but I am exhausted." Bess moved to get up and Dean got up to help her. She waved him off, smiling ruefully. "This kid is zapping all my energy before he's even here. I'm gonna get a bath and go to bed. I'll have Garth pick up some doughnuts or something for us in the morning."

"The morning?" Finn sounded surprised. Sam and Dean exchanged glances over the table and Bess didn't notice as she slid by Garth as he was coming out the patio slider. They shared a quick kiss and he sat down at his place again, sliding the half full coffee cup to his daughter on Dean's knee.

Dean took a long sip of his coffee and Ava mimicked him, sipping her lukewarm chocolate milk. Sam grinned at the little girl and Finn did too. Couldn't help herself. "So when you're done, Ava Grace, it's time for a bath and then to bed."

Ava groaned loudly, her head falling back against Dean's shoulder. "But I don't _wanna."_

"Tell you what," Sam leaned forward, gaining her attention. "You finish up here and get washed up, I'll read you a story before bed." Her eyes lit up and she took another sip of her hot chocolate, a light brown mustache on her upper lip.

"Okay." Garth smiled gratefully at Sam and Finn relaxed back in the chair, enjoying her coffee as the crickets started to chirp. Ava took two more tiny sips before sliding off Dean's lap to tug on her dad's hand.

"C'mon Daddy." Garth picked his cup up and reached for hers and Finn's quiet voice stopped them.

"We got it."

"Thanks," His eyes held hers for a few seconds before the disappeared into the house. Finn finished her coffee before looking around, realizing that somehow, the sun begun to set, casting a warm orange glow in the sky.

"I thought we were heading to a hotel and home in the morning, you two."

"Garth wanted us to stay here." Sam ventured carefully. Finn's throat worked to swallow as she stared off into the yard. "Finn, we should have-..."

"Yeah, you're damn right you should have." Her tone was a mixture of hurt and angry. "This is unbelievable." Finn pushed her chair back and picked up her mug before disappearing into the house, pulling the silder closed behind her.

"You're such a kiss ass." Dean rolled his eyes. "Sam, you know damn well she would've said no had we asked." He and his brother got up to collect the mugs to take inside, locking the door behind them.

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Garth was standing in the kitchen with Finn ten minutes later, their gazes on Sam and Ava on the couch as he read to her. "I put fresh sheets on the bed in the guest room and got some for the couch." He broke the awkward silence.

"I shouldn't be here."

"There's no where else you should be." Garth spoke softly. He saw her push a tear back somewhat angrily.

"It hurts to see you like this."

He was confused. "Like what?"

"You're married. Kid. One on the way."

"I don't have a picket fence." She swatted his arm. "You know what I mean. Shit ain't perfect. I still want all these things for you."

"Bess and Ava are wonderful."

That made him smile, his eyes on his daughter and Sam, who was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch. Ava was on her tummy on the couch behind him so she could see the pictures. "They are." He looked over. "Dean and Sam said you probably wouldn't come, but I'm glad you're here." She gave him a small smile. When the story was over, Ava came running to her dad and he picked her up. "Say night night."

"Night night." Ava repeated, waving to Sam and Finn. Garth disappeared upstairs and Sam got up, his knees cracking.

"Dean's in the shower. You wanna go next?"

"I'm fine. You two were the ones chasing Ava around the yard getting sweaty and gross."

"True." He passed by, tugging on her hand. "I'll show ya the guest room." Finn let Sam lead her down the hall to a room that was probably 12x12. Dean had carried their bags in, presumably while she and Garth were in the kitchen watching Sam read to Ava. "You and Dean can sleep here. I'll take the couch."

"I might kill him in his sleep for lying about us staying here." Finn warned him, her anger had cooled down a bit, but not completely.

Sam shrugged. "It is what it is." Dean appeared in the doorway in a towel, his jeans and shirt over his forearm. Finn averted her eyes and Sam smirked, seeing her do so. "I'm gonna grab a shower." She sat down on the full sized bed, her back to Dean and she heard his duffle bag being unzipped. He got dressed quietly and she sat there while he did so, a million thoughts swirling around in her mind.

"I'm sorry for deceiving ya."

"I know."

"You gonna kill me while I sleep tonight?"

"Maybe."

He yanked on his gray tshirt. "Fair enough." She felt his weight behind her. "I sleep with the fan on, that okay?"

Finn nodded and got up to shuffle around in her own bag. Dean saw her look over her shoulder at him and he took the hint, laying down and rolling over on his side, his back to her so she could change. She slipped on some shorts and a tank top, slipping off her bra when she froze, hearing his phone buzz.

"I gotta take this real quick," Dean sat up, his eyes on his phone's screen before pushing off the bed and slipping out the door, pulling it closed behind him.

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A/N:

So sorry for the lack of updates. Writer's block and end of the school year make for a long month. Thanks for being patient with me. Have a wonderful week. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

CitrineMama


	10. Chapter 10

Finn was still sitting on the side of the bed when Dean slipped back in the guest room, pulling the door closed behind him. He thumbed off his phone before glancing at the brunette. "Who was that?"

"A friend." Something about his tone made Finn somewhat suspicious, but knowing him somewhat made her feel like maybe it was some woman he'd hooked up with or something.

Finn stood up to yank back the covers before snuggling under them on the firm mattress. She rolled onto her back to watch Dean tug back the covers on his side some more and mimicked her actions.

"Night." Her hand reached out for the lamp and clicked it off, bathing the room in darkness. The blinds were closed in the window on Dean's side of the bed, but the moonlight still filtered through. It only took a few minutes for their eyes to adjust as they lay side by side, a safe distance between them.

Finn rolled over onto her left side and closed her eyes. She was practically an expert at faking sleep after two miserable years spent with Rick. She lay there for about ten minutes before the hunter next to her shifted to roll onto his stomach before settling back down again. Finn's eyes opened when Dean's breathing finally slowed and she counted the number of seconds between each breath, finally accepting that he was fast asleep.

Finn pulled the covers off her lower half slowly before slid out of the bed quietly so not to jostle and wake him or make the mattress squeak.

Her hand wrapped around the doorknob before she glanced back at the man in the bed. Satisfied that he hadn't stirred, she turned it quietly before easing out the door, pulling it closed behind her

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Dean's eyes opened sometime later and his head turned instinctively to the left. His pulse rate immediately quickened upon seeing the empty space next to him where Finn had been laying when he'd drifted off to sleep. He reached out and felt the cool sheets for any sign of warmth like she'd just gotten up to use the bathroom or get a drink of water or something. Dean swung his legs over the side of the guest room bed before pushing off, crossing the carpeted room and opening the door.

He listened in the doorway for a few seconds for any sounds of life, a toilet flushing, the sink running, anything. Only silence greeted his ears and he internally groaned. Dean's bare feet padded down the hallway towards the living room and he heard his brother's soft snores before he'd even rounded the corner. Sam's left leg was hanging off the cushion and the other was stretched over the arm of the couch. The colorful handmade quilt was pulled up to his chin as he slept peacefully and Dean smiled to himself.

His eyes moved from his brother to the house alarm on the wall near the front door. It was deactivated and that made his stomach drop to his feet. _Had Finn gone out of the hous_e_?_ He turned and headed back towards the kitchen and saw that the vertical blinds were pushed aside halfway and through the glass slider, he could see the brunette leaning against the deck railing, her back to him.

Dean watched her for a moment before he slid the heavy door open. She turned her head to the left just slightly, as if she could gauge who it was. Finn didn't speak, only turned to face the yard again. "I'm fine, Dean." She spoke softly before he could ask. She heard him slide the door closed again before she felt him approach her with some sense of careful apprehension.

He stepped up behind her and could feel the tension radiating off her. "How'd you know the alarm code?"

His question seemed to puzzle him and she smiled to herself. "I know him pretty well." Finn was referring to Garth and Dean nodded, even though she wasn't looking at him. "What are you doing up?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing."

"Couldn't sleep." There was a pregnant pause that followed her statement and Dean waited for the elaboration, but Finn didn't continue.

Her eyes fluttered shut when she felt the man behind her close the distance between them. His right arm wrapped around her shoulders, his hand coming the rest on her left shoulder. His chin was on top of her head, tucking her neatly against him. "Look, I don't know what happened to you, I don't know what you went through these last few years, but you gotta leave it behind ya."

Her right hand came up to clutch his forearm, her left one on the railing for support. "Dean, he isn't going to stop looking for me." Her whisper was just enough to be heard over the crickets chirping incessantly around them. "He'll never stop until he finds me."

"How is he going to find you?" His tone held a certain bit of curiosity and he felt her sigh.

"He's a parole officer. He works at the jail and he knows all the cops. He has connections everywhere. All he has to do is reach out to some of his buddies and my life is over." The words were choked and quiet and he wasn't entirely sure of she meant that he would drag her back to his house... or end her life. "Dean, he's going to find me. He's probably already looking. I know he is."

"He's _not_ gonna find you. You know how many damn times we were wanted by any of the alphabet soup agencies?" The way he put that made her smile a tiny bit. "C'mon, Finn. We won't let that happen."

"I just know that for the rest of my life," His arm tightened around her some. "I'm going to be looking over my shoulder for some type of monster and this time, I have no idea how to keep this one from taking everything away from me again."

Dean's eyes closed for a few seconds while he digested that. A breeze washed over them a bit, making Finn shiver. He tipped his head forward to the right of hers, his two day stubble against her temple and his left hand moved to the deck railing. Finn felt him sigh deeply and she smiled sadly. "I'm so sorry." His whisper made her nod slightly.

"I told Sam the other day that I just wanted to be normal again and I just don't know how that's even possible anymore."

"This is our normal." Her head fell back against his left shoulder, her eyes closed to keep the tears from falling. "Finn," Dean took a breath, catching the remnants of whatever body wash she'd used that morning before they left the bunker still lingering on her skin. "I promise you, I won't let him get to you." His face turned involuntarily to the left, breathing her in. "I promise."

Through the blinds from the upstairs window behind them, his eyes watched the pair on the deck in the moonlight. He'd woken up when he heard the silder open downstairs in the kitchen and watched his ex walk out on the deck in her bare feet and pajamas until the other hunter joined her. Dean and Finn were standing there together in a very intimate looking position and he watched them for a few moments before his wife's sleepy voice came from behind him.

"What are you doing? Come back to bed." Garth let go of the blinds he'd been peeking out of and the curtains fell back into place over them as he padded over the carpet softly and climbed back into bed next to Bess.

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Dean was surprised when Finn turned around in his arms to face him and hugged his torso tight. "Dean, I..." Her words died on her tongue and he hugged her close against him. Her breath caught when she realized just how much she missed someone holding her like that.

"I know, sweetheart." He murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple. Finn raised her face to his after he did that and his eyes moved to hers, trying to gauge her emotions. There was a twinkle in her eyes and her dimple deepened just a bit, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly, wanting to laugh at herself for what she was about to say.

"I don't make very good decisions sometimes." Her gaze dropped to his mouth for a split second. He could feel her chest rising and falling against his, the slow drag of her pert nipples through both of their thin cotton shorts coaxing him to follow her lead.

Dean leaned forward, his forehead against hers as his breath danced across her parted lips a breath from his. "Well, one of us has to."

She shifted in front of him slightly and let out a shaky sigh. "I just wanna forget."

"Finn," There was a hint of his quickly waning judgment in his whisper. "We can't."

"I just wanna forget. Just for tonight, I wanna-," His lips met hers softly and the instant that they did, Dean let his logic and everything that went with it go straight out the proverbial window. "Dean," Her breathy tone made his lower half tighten with anticipation.

"Finn," He whispered back, feeling her intrusive fingers curl into the waist band of his pajama pants in a teasing manner. Dean's mouth moved from hers to the spot just below her ear to suck gently.

"Fuck." She carded the fingers on her left hand through his hair and tugged gently when he did that, a little thrill zinging down her spine to her lower half, igniting a spark she thought was long burned out. "Dean, let's go inside." Finn felt his calloused thumb brush her nipple through the flimsy material of her tank top.

He kissed her again before leading her into the house. He locked the slider and pulled the vertical blinds closed before his fingers linked in hers as he led her though the kitchen and back past his snoring brother in the living room on the couch.

Once inside the guest bedroom, Finn locked the door before turning to face Dean. She closed the gap between them, almost shocked at her own forwardness, but the need to feel something good again was overwhelming her senses. He slipped off her tank top in the dark room and she shoved his tshirt up and off before their lips met again, her small hands roving over his warm skin.

Finn shimmied her shorts down her hips impatiently and tugged his pants down before pushing him to sit on the bed. "C'mon, I need you. Now." She panted against his mouth as she moved to straddle his lap.

"I gotta get a condom." His logic floated back a bit.

"I'm on the shot." Before he could question her, Finn's cool hand grasped his manhood gently and guided it inside her, her chest at his eye level. She felt him groan softly from somewhere deep in his chest and she thought it was the sexiest thing she'd ever heard. _"Fuck."_ She paused, her arms around his shoulders, trying to relax against the girth he held. Dean's warm hands moved to her hips and he closed his eyes, nuzzling his face into the small space between her breasts. She felt him kiss her sternum before she started to move.

"Finn," He whispered and she shook her head.

"Just let me... I just need..." The delicious friction against her pubic bone was making the coil inside her pelvis tighten and Finn briefly wondered when the last time she'd gotten off truly was. Dean felt her tighten around him as she brought herself closer to the edge. His hand snaked in between them to thumb the spot right above where they were connected and Finn gasped in his ear when he did that. _"Dean."_

"Shh," He shushed her before shifting them to roll over on the guest room mattress. "I know what you need." Finn was laying there, looking up at him in the moonlight that was sneaking in through the blinds. Her chest was heaving up and down as she tried to calm her breathing. Finn's eyes moved down his body as she saw Dean stoke himself a few times, his eyes moving from her to wherever she'd tossed his tshirt a moment ago. He leaned over to snag it off the floor to his right before turning his attention back to the brunette.

Finn arched into him when he slid back inside her before picking up a brutal pace. "You alright?" He whispered down to her. Her breasts were bouncing as he pounded into her relentlessly. Finn didn't answer, only reached up to pull him down to get that mouth of his back on hers.

Dean felt her tightening around him again and he whispered against her lips. "You feel so good around my cock, babygirl." That was all it took and she came undone for the second time that evening, one of her hands gripping her hair tightly and the back of her left hand pressed against her mouth to keep quiet. He followed her seconds later and pulled out to unload into his tshirt instead of on the guest bedding and she watched him do so, unashamed.

Dean getting off was easily the sexiest thing she'd ever seen.

He wadded up his tshirt and slipped it in his duffle bag on the dresser before tugging up his pajama pants, his eyes moving to the woman on the bed. "Finn, you alright?" Her silence made him nervous and he waited for her response.

"Wonderful." She practically purred and he smiled softly. She sat up a few seconds later, feeling a bit lightheaded after she did so. "Damn." He leaned down to retrieve her tank top and shorts for her and Finn slipped them back on. "I'm gonna hit the bathroom real quick."

Dean nodded before she slipped out of the room for the second time that evening and he flopped back on the bed, closing his eyes.

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Hey y'all!

Hope you guys liked this one. Finn's still worried about Rick and the resources he has to possibly locate her. Guess this was one way to keep her mind off things for a little while. ;)

Thanks for reading and leave me a review!

CitrineMama


	11. Chapter 11

The morning after their hook up would be awkward and uncomfortable. It always is. He'd had enough one night stands in his life on the road to know just how important it was to get out in the morning before the other person awoke. Never in the history of hooking up would it be smooth and uncomplicated. Dean and Finn had crossed that line last night and now he had to face the consequences.

He knew this before he'd even opened his eyes to face what they day had to offer and he steeled himself for the worst possible scenario, although he wasn't even entirely sure what that may be. Dean opened his eyes and turned his face to the left where Finn had been sleeping peacefully next to him a few hours before. After they'd slept together.

The sheets next to him, much like the night before, were empty and cold.

Dean kicked off the comforter and moved to his side of the bed to reach for his phone on the nightstand. The birds were starting to chirp outside and the sunlight was starting to peek in. He fought a yawn before getting up to pull on his jeans from yesterday and a fresh tshirt before jamming his pajama pants into his bag on the dresser next to hers. He could hear footsteps coming down the hall and he looked up to the door as he zipped his duffle bag closed.

The door opened a few inches and Finn looked in, dressed and ready for the day. "Hey sleepyhead. Your coffee's getting cold." There was absolutely zero awkwardness on her end. He just stared at her for a few seconds in some sort of shock, unable to come up with a reply. "Dean, you coming?" Her hand was on the doorknob as she looked at him expectantly.

He mentally slapped himself. "Uh, yeah." Finn nodded and ducked out of the doorway, presumably to head back down to the kitchen. Dean caught up with her in the hallway in a few quick strides, his strong hand reaching out to snag hers. "Finn." She turned to him, a couple feet from the kitchen where the unmistakable sounds of a coffee pot sputtering and the silverware drawer being opened and shuffled through met their ears.

"Yeah?" If she was playing dumb, he couldn't tell.

Dean glanced over at the couch in the living room off the hallway where his brother had slept, the blanket folded atop the bed pillow he'd used before his tired gaze slid back to the young woman who was standing in front of him. "About last night..." His eyebrows went up slightly and Finn gave him a small smile before tugging her hand from his.

"There's nothing to talk about." Was her hushed reply. "It happened." Finn took a step towards the kitchen and Dean caught her elbow. "What?"

He leaned in, not wanting their conversation to be overheard. "That's all you have to say? Seriously?" She just looked up at him, a somewhat perplexed expression on her face. He started saying something else, but Sam appeared in the hallway.

"Good... you're up." He was smiling at his brother. "Garth ran to get us breakfast."

Finn and Dean shared one more look before he followed her to the kitchen where Bess was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking decaffeinated green tea while Sam was leaning against the counter nearest the coffee pot, sipping from his mug. "Morning, Dean." Bess smiled tiredly, looking even more exhausted than she had last night.

"Morning." He gave her a half smile before Finn moved to sit back at the table across from Garth's wife where her mug sat half full with her second cup of coffee. Dean poured himself a coffee and mimicked his brother, leaning against the counter. "Ava still asleep?"

"Yeah, but she'll be up anytime." Bess covered her yawn with her right hand. "I couldn't sleep last night. I can _never_ get comfortable this close to my due date. Poor Garth was up too, probably because I was tossing and turning." She took a sip. "When I woke up around one, he was up looking out the window."

That comment made Dean's gaze slide to Finn's as they shared some sort of pensive glance and Sam didn't miss that over the rim of his mug, but chose not to comment. "Well, you'll be done with this soon and he'll be here." Sam spoke softly, turning his attention to the blonde. "Then you'll be back to your old self before you know it with two kids to chase."

"I hope so." Bess smiled at Sam before they heard the sounds of the side door from the garage being opened. "Thank goodness... I was _starving_ for a creamstick. Or three." That made the trio laugh softly as Garth entered the kitchen, putting the box of doughnuts on the counter next to Dean. He opened the box and pushed off the counter to move to Bess first.

She took out two creamsticks after plucking a paper napkin from the holder on the table and Dean moved the box to Finn. Of course, she chose the old fashioned doughnut with no frills and she knew Garth remembered that. Garth hung his keys up and they all ate their doughnuts in a comfortable silence until Ava called out. "Daddy?"

She appeared in the doorway in her long tshirt, holding her blanket and rubbing her eyes. "Hi baby." Garth set his half eaten doughnut on a napkin on the counter before picking her up. "You want a doughnut?" She shook her head and hid her face in his neck. He picked his pastry back up with his free hand. "So what else is going on for you guys? I heard you bagged an aswang recently."

"We did." Sam gave him the very PG version and when he did, Dean's gaze slid over to Finn again. She gave him a pointed look of her own as discretely as she could before her eyes moved back to Sam as he spoke about their recent case. He left out the part about Finn getting drugged by the monster, of course, because he didn't want Garth to worry. Sam glanced at the screen on his phone when he was through and frowned a bit. "Well, we better get going. Thank you guys for having us out." His tone was regretful.

"Well, you all better promise to get back out here and see us once this little one comes." Bess wiped her mouth and got to her feet. Sam tossed his napkin in the trashcan before hugging Bess and ruffling Ava's hair.

"We sure will."

The blonde smiled before reaching for Ava. "C'mon, sweet girl, let's go get dressed. Say bye."

"Goodbye," Her tone was a mix of sleepy and grouchy and that made all of the adults smile before Bess and Ava disappeared form the kitchen to head back upstairs to get ready for their day.

"I'll grab our bags." Dean spoke to Finn, who nodded. Garth reached out to turn off the coffee pot before closing the cardboard box that housed the doughnuts.

"I'll walk you guys out."

After Sam and Dean had retrieved their overnight bags from the guest room and stripped the sheets off the guess bed for Bess, Garth followed the trio out to the impala. He hugged Sam first, then Finn. "You take care of yourself." His voice was soft as he hugged her close. "Let me know you guys got home okay." She let go and nodded as she took a step back from him towards the car, smiling up at him. She followed Sam down the driveway and Garth turned to face Dean, but his friend was watching the brunette walk away.

The older man seemed surprised when Garth clapped a hand on his shoulder playfully. "I know that look, man. I've _had_ that look." Green met hazel and for once in his life, Dean couldn't read Garth's emotions.

"What?" He felt his ears start to burn.

"Take care of her." He spoke seriously and Dean wondered if Garth had been looking out of his bedroom window when he and Finn had shared that kiss on the back deck the evening before. "Have a safe trip home, Dean." Garth gave him a smile before giving him a gentle shove towards his car where Sam and Finn were waiting.

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Meanwhile, four states away, Rick was contacting some of his out of town buddies, trying to track down Josie. She had no job, no money, no passport, so where the hell could she have gone a month before? She hadn't really any friends that he knew of outside her group and he'd requested detail phone records from the last year.

A friend of his owed him a favor, so he'd asked her to look through them, to find anything he might have missed.

The only numbers she'd dialed were his and a few of his friends' wives or girlfriends. Her credit card he'd given her for emergencies was a dead end also. There was still no activity despite his six phone calls to them in between his watching them on the app on his phone several times a day.

Rick had briefly considered sending out a wanted poster across the midwestern states, but he didn't wanna risk getting into trouble for that so he was back at square one. He swore, his eyes moving to the framed picture of the two of them on his desk. They'd been hiking that day at the Metroparks not far from his home and she had snapped the selfie on her phone of them laughing and it was one of her favorites, she'd said.

He tore his eyes from that frame and reached out to where he had her phone charging on the left side of his desk. Rick punched in the security code and scrolled through her dozen contacts for the millionth time in the last four weeks and still came up empty.

_Someone had to have helped her leave, but who?_ He wondered.

The only items that were missing from the house were her running shoes, flip flops and probably some clothing. And her backback they'd used for hiking. She had that also because it was missing from the front hall closet where she always kept it. But everything else Josie had walked away from, including her diamond engagement ring that she'd left sitting on the counter by the coffee pot.

Rick took another long pull from his beer bottle. He'd find her eventually and make her pay for leaving him and saying those things on his social media page. Boy, had _that_ been a mess trying to explain away her _very_ public statements all the while keeping up with the story that she was staying with her ill mother in southern Ohio near Steubenville, where reception on her phone was shitty.

_We'd been hacked, can you believe it?_

He'd responded to a few texts from his friends' wives on her cell, pretending to be Josie, but never taking any calls. Yeah, he'd find her alright, and she was gonna clean up the damn mess she'd made for him.

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Hey y'all!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave me a review!

Have a great week. :)

CitrineMama


	12. Chapter 12

A comfortable silence settled over the impala as she headed west, soothing her passengers with the engine's steady rumble under the hood. It was early morning just before eight, but the sky was a muted gray, the fresh air coming in through the open windows holding just a hint of rain. The trees swayed back and forth in the breeze from their places between the sidewalks and the street as Dean pulled out of Garth's picturesque neighborhood.

Sam shifted in his seat to glance first at his brother, then at Finn pointedly. She pretended not to notice as she toed off her running shoes, her eyes on her worn paperback as she lay across the backseat. Her ankles were crossed comfortably and her duffel was under her head serving as a pillow. He continued to stare until he saw her give in. "Sam." Finn's tone was weary and Dean glanced in the rearview mirror even though she was laying behind his seat and he couldn't see her expression. "Why ya lookin' at me like that?"

"Just wanted to make sure you're alright." His tone was even and Finn eyed him before she responded.

"I'm good." Her tone was light, although slightly tired from barely sleeping with Dean last night. She put in her earbuds and plugged into her phone and Sam took the hint before turning around. Dean glanced over at him, somewhat nervous before reaching out to turn the radio on.

The ride home was fairly quiet until Sam glanced over his shoulder and the back seat and saw that their passenger was asleep. He shifted a bit and looked over at his older brother. "She okay?" There was concern in his soft tone.

"She said she was fine." Dean glanced over at the younger man a neutral expression on his face. Sam stared at him for a long moment, trying to gauge his reaction.

"I was just checking because, you know it'd be kind of weird for her to meet her ex boyfriend's family and all." The younger man settled back into his seat, his eyes moving back to the road in front of them.

"She said she was good, Sam. Just leave it at that, hm?" Dean reiterated.

"If you say so," Sam replied under his breath. He let his head fall back a bit and closed eyes, another mile rolling underneath the Impala's tires.

Dean was secretly glad the both of them were dozing off because that gave him some time to think about the events that had transpired the night before. The one thing that bugged him the most though, was the fact that Garth took one look at him and almost knew what he was thinking. When he said that to Dean in the driveway, it stuck with him. His friend's words were going over and over in his mind.

_I know that look. I've_ had_ that look. Take care of her, alright?_

_Didn't mean anything,_ he assured himself, _just_ _a casual thing._ At least, it seemed that way to Finn. She'd almost brushed it off as if nothing had happened between them. Dean supposed that they'd they talk about it at some point or another.

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Finn blinked sleepily when she felt the car roll to stop and the engine shut off sometime later. She pulled out her earbuds before pushed off the backseat to see what was going on. Finn heard the familiar creek of the impala's doors as she did so. The two men got out, almost simultaneously closing the doors. She saw Dean walk around the front of the car, his hand sliding in his back pocket to retrieve his wallet. He shuffled through it before handing a credit card to Sam and replacing it in his back pocket.

Sam accepted it before saying something to his brother. Dean gave him a look before moving past him to lift the gas nozzle from its cradle and removing the gas cap.

Finn scooted to the driver's side and got out, feeling stiff from laying down in the back for what felt like the last few hours. Both men looked over at her when she got out and stretched a bit before closing her door. "You wanna hit the bathroom?" Sam asked and she nodded, stifling a yawn. His gaze moved back to Dean. "I'll get ya something." The older man flashed him a smile.

"Seep well?' Their shoes scuffed along the crumbling blacktop of the tiny service station as they headed for the door. Sam reached out to pull open the smudged and fingerprinted glass door, holding it open for the brunette as the tiny bell hanging above them jingled softly, announcing their arrival.

She nodded her thanks and he followed her inside. "Yeah. Little stiff is all."

"I slept some too." He nodded towards the back corner where a tiny restroom sign was hanging. They went down the chip aisle and parted ways momentarily before meeting again outside the tiny hallway no more than a moment later. "You want a coffee or something, Finn?"

Finn was studying the ample selection of chips and peanuts and saw him pluck some beef jerky from its box near her. "Yeah, maybe. How far are we from home?" His heart warmed a bit when he heard her say that. She chose a bag of cheddar and sour cream potato chips before they moved to the tiny coffee station.

"Not sure." Sam leaned against the counter, keeping his attention to everything going on around them. He could see his brother finish pumping the gas before getting back inside his car. Finn poured herself the tallest cup of coffee they had after adding a splash of cream to it. Sam handed her a lid and she pressed the edges on to seal it closed before they headed to the counter to pay for their snacks and the gasoline.

Dean was back out of his car when they crossed the parking lot again. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance as they approached him. His arms were resting on the top of the car, his cell phone in his hand. "What's wrong?" Sam knew Dean better than he knew himself. "Dean?"

He turned his phone over in his hands and Finn could see that it was his _other_ cell phone. "Got a call from Garth."

Finn felt her stomach drop to her feet and she felt sick almost instantly. "What's wrong?"

"He just got a call from another hunter he knows about some demon activity outside Omaha." His tone had shifted into a more serious one. Sam let out a breath as he handed the plastic bag containing the beef jerky across the top of the car to his brother's awaiting palm. "He called me because it was out our way. You guys wanna check it out?"

Sam glanced down at the receipt he'd just gotten inside, noting the name and address of the small town they stopped in. "You wanna get back to the bunker and grab some supplies and head out? I figure we can be home by five-ish and we can be back in Omaha around eight or nine?"

Dean was looking inside his treat bag. "Sounds like a plan." His gaze shifted to Finn. "You in, Finn?"

"Yeah," She blinked, snapping back to reality. "Of course."

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Rick's phone rang at four am and he rolled over in the bed, snatching his cell phone off the nightstand. "What?" His tone was terse.

"I got her."

He immediately sat up and reached out blindly to turn on the bedside lamp, swearing softly when he nearly knocked it off the nightstand in the process. Temporarily blinding himself, he rubbed his eyes. "What?"

"I found her. Or at least," The man on the other end zoomed in on the closed caption tv he'd hacked into a couple hours earlier. "Where she'd been."

"So where's she been?"

"Passed through the Indianapolis area. Some gas station."

A beat passed before he dared to ask. "Alone?"

"With some guy."

That made Rick's blood boil. "Are you fuckin' _serious?"_

"Yeah." He played the tape back again and paused it. "Your little girlfriend a hunter, by chance?"

The man on the other end moved to the side of the bed, running a hand over his face. "What now?"

"Is Josie a hunter?"

"A hunter?" Rick scoffed. "She wouldn't even kill a damn spider in the shower." The other man smirked, his eyes on the laptop's screen. "Why would you even _ask_ that?"

"Just a hunch." Rick could hear him clicking on the other end of the phone. As he zoomed in on the man's face, a smirk settled across his features. "I'll keep working on this and keep ya posted, hm?"

"Yeah, of course." Rick hung up his cell phone and set it back down.

The detective was still staring at the cctv footage as his eyes darkened. "Josie, never woulda thought you had it in ya..."

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Hello lovelies!

A million apologies for the lack of updates! Thank you to each of you who added this one to your follows and favorites! Working on the next chapter this weekend!

Please leave me review and have a great day!

CitrineMama


	13. Chapter 13

Finn paused in her bedroom. She was absentmidedly shoving clothing into her backpack without even folding it. Finn had just slipped her fake badge on the front zipper pocket before she paused to collect herself, taking a shaky breath. Something deep down in her gut was telling her to stay back at the bunker... _Her and the boys. Let someone else handle this one._

There was a knock at her door and she turned a little to look up at the mohagany door. "Yeah?" Her voice sounded choked. "I'm decent."

The door opened somewhat cautiously and Sam gave her a smile. "You ready?"

"Yeah. Just about." There was a pregnant pause and he waited, feeling the tension coming off Finn. "Sam?"

"Finn?"

"I have a bad feeling about this one." Her admittance was soft and she didn't make a move to pick up her bag. Her eyes dropped from his. "A really, _really_ bad feeling."

Sam's brow furrowed slightly and he leaned his shoulder against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest. "A bad feeling about this case?" He wasn't being a smartass; Sam was immediately worried ed and as far as he was concerned, going with your gut was at _least_ seventy five percent of being a hunter. The rest was split between being a decent shot and being a good bullshitter.

"Yes."

Before Sam could reply, Dean interrupted as he approached. "Let's get a move on, hm?" His younger brother was still studying the brunette in front of him and she glanced up before she hoisted her backpack on her right shoulder. "Guys?"

Dean watched Sam and Finn exchange a tentative glance. "What?"

"Nothing." She forced a smile. Everything in her was telling him otherwise. "Let's go." Sam headed out, followed by Finn until Dean reached out and touched her arm. She looked up at him, worry etched on her features.

"Finn?" His tone was softer now that Sam had gone ahead down the hall.

"It's fine." She shrugged him off. Dean's expression was unreadable.

_Oh gosh, did he think she told Sam or something?_

"You sure you're fine?" Not the case, but _her._

The smile she wore was forced and it never reached her eyes. "Promise."

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The drive to Omaha was fairly quiet. The breeze was blowing in through Dean's open window as they drove, the sunlight shining through the rear window and warming Baby's three occupants. Finn's hair was blowing around and she reached in her purse and shuffled around until she found a hair elastic to tie her hair up in a messy bun. She felt her stomach growl and was reminded that they hadn't eaten since they'd left Garth's house that morning.

_Garth's house. That_ already_ seemed like days ago._

_Except the part where she and Dean had slept together less than twenty four hours ago._

Finn closed her eyes tightly for a few seconds, trying to force that thought from her mind. Not that it was unpleasant in _any_ way-

The ding of a new text ripped Finn out of her thoughts. "Got his number." Dean murmured, his eyes moving to his phone for a few seconds. Garth had forwarded the hunter's cell number who'd tipped them off. He dialed the number and hit the speakerphone button and held it out between he and Sam as he drove. "Hey Winchester... how's it goin'?"

"Real good. How's the family?" Dean couldn't help the smile in his voice.

There was a whistle on the other end of the phone. "Great. Busy as hell. At an indoor soccer tournament in Pittsburgh all week for my son... I appreciate you guys picking this one up for me..." There was a pause. "So this old friend of mine contacted me."

Finn leaned forward to listen, resting her forearms on the front seat. Dean handed her the phone to hold while he drove. "And what's going on?" Sam spoke up from the passenger seat.

"So there's been some weird shit... People have been getting their biggest hopes and dreams realized and dying a year to the day of their seemingly stroke of luck." Sam's jaw tightened. "Storms, unusual amount of lightening strikes and one girl swore to police that she saw a quote thick black smoke in her home right before her boyfriend died. After he got his big promotion. Second one in a year."

"So they're making deals." Sam murmured. "How'd he find this all out?"

He hollered something before continuing. "Ryan's the editor for the paper and he knew all these folks." That made Sam and Dean share an apprehensive look. "And no, he isn't the link. He saw the obits and his girlfriend works at the police station. Said the causes of death are all ruled undetermined." Loud cheering came over the line before he continued. "And all three victims were inside their homes and despite this, the cops are wondering if these are animal attacks."

"Right." Dean scoffed. There was a bitter chuckle on the other end.

"Call me biased, but these aren't random. I'm gonna text you Ryan's number and you guys can chat with him. I gotta go."

"Thanks for the info." Sam spoke again. "We'll keep ya posted."

"Stay safe, guys." Finn ended the call and the screen went dark. A text came through a few seconds later and she clicked on it. The phone was ringing and she put it back on speaker.

"This is Ryan."

"Hey, your buddy Jimmy gave us your number. This is Sam and Dean."

"Hey guys... yeah, so I came across this a couple days ago and thought it was super weird. Retired guy's wife gets the all clear from her oncology doctor a year ago last week. She was sleeping in her recliner in their living room and when she woke up, he was dead from what the police are calling an animal attack in the kitchen. In their _locked_ home. Alarm was still on when the paramedics got there."

Sam winced at the description. "Alright. And the others?"

"Young guy. Got 2 huge promotions in the last year. He's fresh outta college, y'know? That doesn't exactly happen naturally, right? His girlfriend swears she saw some black smoke but their fire alarms never went off and she found him in his office at the house. Same manner of death. Clawed wide open."

"And number three?" Dean spoke.

"Last one is some young guy with quite a gambling problem from when I understand. Won the lottery last year. Found in his truck."

"Let me guess..." Sam said wryly. "Animal attack."

"Listen guys, you be safe. I can get you some more information on these people. I'm not sure of anything they might have had in common. I hope you get whatever's doing this."

"We appreciate your help." Sam spoke. "We'll be in touch." He looked to Finn and she hung up, quietly processing what they'd just heard. She reached down and set the cell phone between them on the leather seat before sitting back and sliding her seatbelt back on.

"They're making deals." She murmured.

"Yep." Dean glanced in the rearview mirror at the brunette. "I say we grab a bite and set up shop while we figure out just what these three people have in common."

"I could go for some barbecue." Sam murmured.

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Finn was in the backseat on her phone for the remainder of the ride to the outskirts of Omaha, looking up the obituaries from the newspaper, trying to put together some sort of connection between the three victims. "So the old guy? The one whose wife was sick... she was in hospice. He went to see her everyday. Always brought her lunch."

"How do you know that?" Dean asked.

"He's on social media." Pause. "Some diner in town. And the gambler Ryan mentioned was a cook at that same place before he hit the lottery."

"The young guy work there too?" Sam asked. "The moonlight diner... should be coming up on the road here..." He looked back down at the phone in his hand as another mile rolled under the tires. "It's actually coming up here pretty quick." He peered up the road ahead.

"No, he didn't work there as far as I can tell..." Finn frowned as she searched for his name in another search engine. "I'll figure it out though." She looked up a minute later as Dean slowed the impala to a stop at a four way and the trio all eyed the aforementioned diner to their left where at least _two_ of the victims had connections.

Finn slid across the bench seat behind Dean to get a better look. The gravel parking lot held about six parking spots in front and the rest off to the right side. Across the way was a two pump gas station that looked as if had been closed for decades, quietly rusting away in the midwest sunshine. Caddycorner to the diner was a vacant lot with a pile of discarded tires. Weeds were growing up and were nearly covering the old rubber.

Lastly, on the other corner was a small used car lot that boasted the best deals around. Ten or so cars littered the small gravel lot with faded prices in their windows and the sign in the tiny office read closed. A car honked inpatiently behind them, startling the trio. Dean glanced in the rear view mirror before he headed east towards the motel they'd be staying in at least for the night.

The neon sign was flashing vacancy as they pulled in before Dean parked his car near the motel office and left her running while he went inside to rent them a room in the nearly empty lot.

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Finn continued to look on her laptop toggling between the two screens as Dean walked around to see what she was working on before moving back to look over Sam's shoulder. "Did you mention something about barbecue?" Sam looked up to Finn from behind from his laptop.

"Yeah... we haven't had good barbecue since last time we drove out this way." He replied quietly, his eyes moving back down to whatever he'd been reading. She typed in to the search bar before clicking on some place that was about twenty five minutes from where their motel was. Finn closed out a window on her laptop and opened a new one when she clicked on the menu button.

"Here's the menu." She pushed her laptop to the center of the cheap pressed wood table and turned it so they could both view it. After the trio decided what they wanted, Dean dialed the number to place their order.

"They said it'll be ready in about 45 minutes."

"Man that sounds great." Sam leaned back and stretched. "I figure we can eat and then we can go chat with Ryan and maybe his girlfriend get some more information." The two nodded in agreement and a comfortable silence settled back over the room and the three continue to look for information, Dean on his phone and she and Sam on their laptops. About 15 minutes later Dean stood up from where he'd been sitting on the end of the bed. "I'm going to head out and get our food." He plucked his keys off of the table between their laptops and jingled them in his hand. "Finn, you want to go with me?"

She declined. "I'm just gonna stay here with Sam." He nodded nonchalantly, his gaze sliding from her to his brother.

"Yeah, sounds good. I'll pick up some beer at the gas station we passed on the way here." He pulled open the door. "Gimmie a call if you want me to get anything else." With that, the door closed behind him. Sam and Finn watched as he crossed in front of the window on his way to the end of the building where the Impala was sitting. They heard the familiar rumble of her engine as it turned over a few seconds later and Finn spoke up.

"You know what? I am going to go with him." She grabbed her cell phone and her purse before yanking open the door pulling it closed behind her. Sam grinned as he saw her jog by the window. About half a minute later he heard that Impala exit the parking lot, her tires crunching over the gravel. He looked back down and his laptop and continued reading.

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An empty mint tin containing all the essentials was buried in the center of the four way stop across from the diner before dusty hands were brushed off on the thighs of well worn jeans and a man appeared in the rapidly fading daylight. "Hey there... always nice to see a familiar face."

"Fuck you."

"Mmm," The demon smirked. "I wish that's how these deals were made, but I don't make the rules."

"I need a favor."

"You know the deal."

"I'm not turning over my soul, asshole." A glare was thrown in his direction and he held up his hands, feigning fear.

"Feisty." He grinned. "Well if not your soul, then what?"

"I'll owe you a favor."

The demon tilted his head slightly. "Alright, I'll bite. What sort of favor?"

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Hey y'all!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave me a review and let me know what you think. :)

Have a wonderful week!

CitrineMama


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